


Re: Julius Juukulius Life in Another World From Zero

by Airplane_Daddy



Category: Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 | Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World (Anime)
Genre: Bonding, Canon Elements, Chapter 11 will be a lemon chapter, Fluff, Happy Ending, I honestly feel bad for Julius, M/M, Pining, Poor Rem, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Slow Subaru, Slow To Update, Subaru is so dense my god, The Major Character Death is really just Subaru, This is my first fic so it might be off at a few points, slight angst if you squint
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:15:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24422626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Airplane_Daddy/pseuds/Airplane_Daddy
Summary: Boizu Rabu - Re:Zero Julius IF Story.Inspired by the Re:Zero IF stories (Specifically the Rem IF). This takes place after the defeat of Betelgeuse/the end of the anime and does not continue like the manga but will instead assume that everyone lived happily.Warning: Subaru still suffers but It's Subaru so that's kinda inevitable.
Relationships: Julius Juukulius | Julius Euclius/Natsuki Subaru, Unrequited Emilia/Natsuki Subaru, Unrequited Rem/Natsuki Subaru
Comments: 61
Kudos: 204





	1. "Sir Greatest Lugnican Knight"

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [5 Times Natsuki Subaru Ruined the Moment](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9346421) by [ningdom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ningdom/pseuds/ningdom). 
  * Inspired by [I don't really hate your guts (and I wish you didn't hate mine)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18795058) by [Welsper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Welsper/pseuds/Welsper). 



> At first I wasn't sure about this couple but after some thoughts I found that they really work. Their chemistry is there, the potential is there so It's all up to the writing to explore that and I hope I did a good job with it.  
> Anyways, hope you enjoy the fanfic.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of a complicated and at times frustrating love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy the fic and have a good read.

> “Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters
> 
> who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like.”
> 
> ― Lemony Snicket

* * *

**[ SUBARU'S SIDE OF THE STORY ]**

A gentle breeze flows through the grass in a swift motion, making it seem as though the two were joined together in a joyous dance. The sun is shining so bright, it can even help one forget about the tears and pain belonging to the past like it was all but a mere dream, soothing their hearts were the melodies hummed by the carefree birds flying so high in the great blue sky. The soft sensation beneath the boy's head made his heart flutter madly, for nothing mattered to him anymore. Nothing, other than Emilia's thighs.

“My place is right here,” Subaru says, turning his head to look up at the fair maiden, whose white hair was so radiant that it made even the purest snowflakes green with envy, “Right by your side, Emilia-tan!”. Hearing the boy say such words with unyielding conviction caused a small, almost unnoticeable smile to grace the girl’s lips.

"I'm glad you are comfortable, Subaru-kun,” She says while gently petting his smooth, jet black hair, “but we cannot stay for too long or we'll make the others worried”. In truth, that was only one half of the reason, the other half was because her legs were becoming numb due to letting the boy stay there a tad too long, but he did not need to know about it. After everything he had done, spoiling him a bit seemed only natural.

“Mmm…5 more minutes, Emilia-tan.” The boy whines childishly, not wanting to move his head away from the girl’s lap “That will not do Subaru-kun. The others are waiting for us.” She says, her voice now carrying a hint of firmness as she slightly puffs up her cheeks and puts her hands on her waist to show him she was serious, but to no avail since it only made his heart skip a beat.

“Ahh… I got it, Emilia-tan. So don’t be mad, okay?” He hesitantly relents, hurriedly removing his head to allow the girl to get up from her position. He himself sits there a while longer to watch the silhouette of the lovely girl shrink slowly as she walks down the grassy hill. “Hurry up, Subaru-kun.” he hears her say from the distance “Coming ,coming!” The boy gets up and dusts his pants before running after the young lady ahead, when suddenly…

“Arghhh…Hngg…Ha..” A gut wrenching sensation takes hold of his heart and refuses to release its grasp on him. At first, he thought it was simply because he finally got to be so close to Emilia that his heart couldn’t help thumping so strongly against his ribcage, but it doesn’t appear to be the case for the thumping only got louder with time, even when Emilia was away.

It got worse and worse with each step he took, he could feel his guts twisting and ripping as he tried to steady his breathing, his lungs seemed like they were tearing apart bit by bit, the pain in his chest ramped up from a mere stinging all the way to searing, blinding agony faster than he could blink.

“Subaru-kun?” Emilia’s soft voice in the distance resonates in his ears, snapping him out of his wretched daze. Her oh so calming words were the light guiding him back to safety through the storm in his mind. '..Em..Emilia-tan.' he thought, beginning to drag his trembling legs towards the direction of the voice before hastily stopping himself in realization ‘No, I can’t let her see me like this. I..I can't make her worry’.

“I…I’ll be right back, Emilia-tan. I need to do something first.” his voice comes out slightly hoarse, causing him to cringe at the sound. Luckily, because of the distance between them, Emilia did not seem to notice and just replies with “Wait...Subaru...” But he ran off before she could finish her sentence. He knew not which direction he was heading off to, only that it was a different direction from Emilia’s own.

* * *

**[ JULIUS'S SIDE OF THE STORY ]**

Julius lifts up the tip of his sword before swiftly bringing it down, serving justice upon a member of the witch cult. The sinner’s face twists in misery as he spits out a mouthful of crimson blood, choking back a silent scream while the blade pierces his flesh leaving him a hollow shell deprived of life. The knight flicks the blood off the tip of his sword in one fluid motion before giving the order: ”Men. Regroup!”.

The once quiet forest is now filled with the sound of feet shuffling hastily. The knights huddle together, forming a circle with Julius at the center. All eyes fall on him, patiently awaiting his next words: “It seems we have cleared this area of any cult members but we can never be too careful. Disband and search every corner for even a single trace of them then report back to the campsite. That is all, DISPERSE!” his voice stern and his words commanding especially at the last part called forth an image of a leader.

The members of the group each go their separate ways in an attempt to find the cultists, with Julius heading deep within the woods. For every mile he walked, he’d made sure to mark the trees so he would know his way back. After walking for quite some time and still finding nothing, the knight was planning on retracing his steps when he suddenly heard a small noise that was barely above a whisper.

Thinking it was one of the witch worshippers, he readied his sword, his steps becoming quiet like a predator hunting its prey, ready to pounce at any given second. But as he got closer, the sound slowly morphed into something familiar, resembling the hushed sobs of a human.

‘What is a person still doing here? I thought we evacuated everyone.’ he wondered, cutting down the tree branches up ahead to clear a path and make his way towards the stranger. He could finally make out a vague outline of a young man in front of him, he rushed out from behind the bushes, stating: "Sir, you are in danger. The cultists could be-?”.

The scene in front of his eyes was not what he had expected. Instead, he was met with the sight of Natsuki Subaru hunched over, holding his stomach with one hand while the other was loosely pressing against a tree to provide some stability. His knees shaking uncontrollably, like they are ready to give out at a moment’s notice. He would let out a couple of strained grunts every now and then but for the most part he was quiet, eerily quiet. 'I guess he's in too much pain to even hear my warning'.

Though the two weren’t the best of friends, he still considered Subaru his friend nonetheless. And even if that wasn’t the case, he couldn’t just leave Subaru here by himself, not in his current state. The knight calmly walked over, unknowingly stepping on the twigs he had cut down earlier which alerted the boy to his presence.

The sudden noise startled Subaru, causing him to twist his entire body in the direction of the sound at lightning speed. Once he did, Julius was able to get a full view of his facial features. His eyes were widened with shock and looked slightly swollen, perhaps due to him holding back his tears, his mouth was agape, taking a few short breaths at a time, his skin was chalky, only serving to accentuate the throbbing veins on his forehead.

After recognizing who was behind him, Subaru’s expression visibly relaxed. ”Jeez…Don’t scare…me.. lik-!” but before he could finish his sentence, a look of torment crawled onto his face, he clutched at his chest, grasping for air. The weight of his own body had become too much to bear and the task of maintaining consciousness proved strenuous for the worn out boy, as he struggled to move forward only to keel over.

“Subaru!” the knight calls out, bursting into a full on sprint. He rushes to his side, stretching out both arms to catch him before he hits the ground. Thankfully, Julius managed to make it in time. He gently lays Subaru down on the dirt ground to do a cursory inspection for wounds but found nothing. ‘He seemed to be fine a while ago, so why…?’ then he remembered.

The past couple of days, Natsuki Subaru had to face off against formidable enemies whom were much stronger than himself, from the White Whale to the archbishop Betelgeuse. He was able to hold his own against them with little to no rest in between the fights, combined with taking the earlier explosion head on. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the whole ordeal would take such a heavy toll on him to the point of collapsing. If Julius were to be honest, he would say he had expected Subaru to go down sooner.

Those feats were nothing to laugh at, especially for someone with no proper combat training or any innate magical prowess, though the way he fought so fearlessly would certainly make one think otherwise. The more he thought about it, the more his odd sense of admiration for the boy grew. On one hand, he did use to think of his actions as rather foolish, leaping into a battle without any means of protecting yourself just seemed like an invitation for death. But on the other hand, Julius could understand the desire of wishing to protect the ones closest to you, it was one of his duties as a knight after all.

The knight took another glance at him before sighing. He sat the boy up right and then proceeded to hoist him up on his back, providing support under his knees. With Subaru secured, Julius started to move towards the direction of the campsite.

The journey back was quite difficult, however, since both of his arms were preoccupied. The vines and branches that he could push away with ease before were now in his way, and all he could do was either crouch down to move under them or take another path to go around them. Straying off his original path made it difficult to follow his earlier markings, causing him to needlessly waste time.

The act of carrying an unconscious person reminded him somewhat of when he had to carry his comrades through the rough terrain of the battlefield, while trying to avoid getting caught in the enemy’s crosshair, breathing in the putrid smell of rotten flesh. But for them to be carried on his back meant that they were all on the verge of death, rendered completely crippled for the remainder of their days.

‘Unlike Subaru...I hope.’ He thought while re-adjusting his hold on the boy, lifting him up higher on his back which unintentionally made Subaru’s chin rest on Julius’s shoulder in the process. He turned his attention from the hill in front to the weight on his back.

Because of the change in position, Subaru’s warm breath was now tickling the exposed part of the knight’s neck. Although being able to know for certain that Subaru’s faint breathing was still present helped him dispel his former thoughts, he would be lying if he said it didn’t cause him even the slightest sense of discomfort.

As he tried to shift Subaru’s head again, he felt a sudden jerk on his shoulder, followed by an ear piercing yell: “HEY! HEY! JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!?!”. The moment Subaru recognized what was going on, he instinctively started to thrash around, flailing his limbs uncontrollably and almost smacking Julius square in the face a couple of times. Fortunately, the knight dodged every swing.

Now that Subaru was awake, The knight didn’t know whether to be relieved or annoyed. ‘The passed out version of him was… somehow far more reasonable and sensible...as expected of Subaru' he thought in exhaustion. Sighing, he tried to explain the situation: “You passed out- ” but before he could finish his sentence “AARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!! ” another screech was made directly into his ear, interrupting him mid-speech. ‘…At this rate, my eardrums might just burst’.

He tried once again in vain to explain the situation, raising his voice in hopes of getting his words through to the boy: “ _Please calm down and list_ -” “AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!” but his efforts turned futile at Subaru’s incessant screeching. He could feel the exasperation steadily rise in his body. Having to handle Subaru’s non-stop yelling, flailing and kicking, on top of the task of carrying him on his back made keeping balance of his own body all the more challenging.

As a knight, Julius was trained to keep his emotions in check so that when he gets called to the battlefield, under any and all circumstances, he would not let his feelings get the better of him which would result in rash decision making and/or a careless sudden impulse. But when it comes to Subaru, all his years of training just seem to vanish into smoke. His patience got thinner and thinner by the second. He took a deep breath before exhaling gently to calm his nerves, carefully choosing his next words: “Suba- _Argghhhh_ ”.

When he wasn’t looking, Subaru had kicked his leg mid-step, causing them to stumble down the hill in an entangled mess. They hit the ground with a thud, their limbs overlapping. Subaru was now lying on top of Julius like a ragdoll, his head resting on the knight’s chest. The silence that followed was painfully awkward, the only thing Subaru could hear was the erratic heartbeat below his head caused by the fall.

“GET OFF OF ME!!!” Subaru howls, pushing himself off of Julius, but he only managed to lift his body up by one or two inches before his arms gave out and crashed down onto the figure below. ‘Aren’t you the one who’s laying on top of me? Just how am I supposed to get off of you?’ The knight thought, re-thinking the boy’s unreasonable demand. “...Subaru, I'd love to,” The knight replies in the calmest tone he could muster, shifting his body awkwardly in an attempt to break free, “…but that is an impossible task at the moment”.

Hearing this, Subaru let out an audible huff of frustration. 'Dammit.The asshole's got a point… not that I'd ever tell him that' . He finally calmed down enough to form his words properly: “Well at least do _something._ ” his voice still carrying a hint of irritation. Sighing, Julius pulled his arms out from the jumbled up pile of limbs and grabbed Subaru’s shoulders, flipping him onto his side before standing up. The knight got back to his feet, bending down to dust off the dirt that covered his white uniform with little luck.

Despite a good while of brushing, most of the dirt still remained, making his efforts all for naught. His clothes seemed like a lost cause. ‘Only an extensive cleaning can save this uniform now. What a shame.’ he thought, looking at his pants when out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something. ‘That’s odd. Why is he still laying on the ground? ’.

The knight turned his head to face the motionless body. “Are you not going to stand?” he asked quizzically, confusion visible on his face. The boy stayed silent, choosing to instead take a sudden interest in the grassy forest floor, determined to not meet Julius’s gaze.

‘Ah, that’s right. His body is still recovering from the explosion. How could I have forgotten?’ he realized. “Can you not?” he questioned him once more to confirm his suspicions. “...Shut up.” Subaru curtly replied, dashing his eyes up to give him a brief glare before lowering his gaze back to the forest floor once more. “…I’ll take that as a no then”.

‘We can't keep arguing here when the cultists could be anywhere...’ he reminded himself. Julius starts to move towards the direction of the figure on the ground, intending to carry him on his back again but before he could even get within arms length, the boy stopped him.

“Don’t even think about it! There’s no way I’m letting you give me a piggyback ride!” He states adamantly, ‘ My pride as a man won’t allow it!!!’. Somehow, the knight had expected that he would say something like that so he did not try to push further, only replying with: “Alright then”. Hearing this, the boy calmed down somewhat.

At this moment, Natsuki Subaru was wondering how he had gotten himself into this “god forsaken” situation as he puts it. ‘Seriously, What the hell is going on?!?! One moment, I’m laying on Emilia-tan’s pillowy, soft thighs. The next, I’m being carried by this asshole and accidentally falling ON TOP OF HIM?!?!? JUST WHERE DID I GO WRONG?! TELL ME GOD!! ’.

As he was lost in thought, he failed to notice the footsteps that were getting closer and closer. Then out of nowhere, he felt his body being lifted up like a mere feather before getting slung over a broad shoulder. Julius’s shoulder.

“HEY! HEY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!!!” He yelled, kicking his arms and legs. “I’m not carrying you on my back, am I?” Julius replied casually, moving his right arm to stop Subaru’s restless legs from kicking him in the chest and starts to walk in the direction of the campsite. “ _Not_ what I meant.” he said angrily, his arms still hitting the knight’s back.

“Subaru, need I remind you?” he pauses, stopping completely in his tracks. His voice now a combination of serious and stern as he says: “There could be any number of witch cultists lurking in this forest, cultists that _can’t wait_ to get their hands on you, to tear you to bloody pieces for killing their archbishop and destroying their “home” per say. Can you even begin to imagine the gruesome things they would do to you if they ever got their hands on you?”.

This sent a shiver down Subaru’s spine. Julius’s words had made him remember the time when he was tortured by Belteguese, just the thought of it was enough to dig up the horrifying memories of a not so distant past, how he was brutally tormented, how Rem was brutally tormented.

The boy was now silent, a gloomy expression loomed over his features, his eyes vaguely drifted downwards. ‘He’s quiet… Too quiet. Was I too harsh? I only intended for that to scare him a little’ he thought, glancing over at the weight on his right. ‘The road back is a long one, so maybe I could use this chance to mend our relationship, if it’s still possible’.

“Can I ask you something, Subaru?” The knight asked, hoping to make small talk to help make the journey back more bearable.

“…Sure, whatever.” Subaru says, letting out a small sigh at the end, seemingly already disinterested in the conversation at hand.

“Why were you in the forest alone?” ‘and in that horrible condition of all things’.

A sudden realization struck Subaru like a thousand bolts of lightning. ‘…Crap.’ Subaru thought. ‘Crap crap crap!’ He started to panic at Julius’s words, a feeling of embarrassment made its way through his body little by little. ‘Crap. He saw, didn’t he? When I passed out he was definitely there! This asshole has seen me look weak, not once but twice! Argghhh’.

“Subaru?” The knight called out, snapping the boy out of his thoughts. “…Huh? Umm, oh uh…” he muttered, stumbling to form words in his mouth. His mind only beginning to comprehend Julius’s question but the random aches in his body made thinking quite difficult.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” He says, deflecting the matter onto the knight. Subaru’s voice was slightly strained when he forced it out, but luckily Julius didn’t notice or he chose to ignore it as he answered: “I was patrolling the forest in search for any remnants of the cult or its members…What about you?” He says, secretly smiling at how he turned the conversation back to Subaru.

Subaru remained silent for a few moments, his shoulders slumped down before he quickly shrugged off Julius’s question, saying: “Do your _oh so_ _sacred_ “duties” tell you to poke your nose in others’ business, Sir _Greatest_ Lugnican Knight?” his voice was a mixture of sarcastic and snarky as he placed special emphasis on his words to annoy Julius further. ‘If I use enough fancy schmancy words he'll probably back off...’ Subaru thought.

“Actually, Subaru. As a knight, it is in fact one of my duties to “poke my nose in others' business”. In order to help others, whether it be over-stepping into their personal matters to save them from a dangerous, life-threatening situation or just merely asking out of genuine concern to make sure that they are okay,” he says, glancing over at the motionless weight on his shoulder, “I am willing to do what I can to be of assistance”.

‘..asking out of…genuine concern…Huh yeah right.’ The knight’s words lingered in Subaru’s mind, something about them just kept pulling on his conscience. ‘Is he trying to say he asked that out of…concern? No way, no way. Argghh!! What the hell?! Why do I suddenly feel bad?!!’.

"Also Subaru. For future reference, “lugnican” isn't an actual word. You wouldn't want to embarrass yourself before _Emilia-sama_ now, would you?" Julius jokes lightheartedly.

‘…Did this asshole just make fun of me?! And I was just starting to feel bad too! Seriously, screw this guy!’ Subaru angrily thought, his brows knitted together. “What’s it to you, asshole?” he spat back, hostility evident with every word. ‘Well that wasn’t the reply I had expected. Did he not take well to my joke?’ Julius pondered, re-adjusting his grip on Subaru.

“Nothing, just looking out for a friend is all.” he calmly said. “We're not _friends_.” Subaru sharply replied, squirming under the knight’s hold on him. “Subaru, do be careful or else you might slip off my shoulder.” he said. But his words failed to calm down the boy, quite the opposite actually, it only made him squirm even harder.

“…stupi…riddicu” “…why…asshol…” “…you…suck..” Subaru mumbled from time to time, occasionally saying an almost coherent sentence “…what did… I ever do to… deser…ve this..?”. Eventually, the knight felt like he had had enough of it. “Subaru, need I remind you of the situation we’re in? The journey back is quite a long one and the cultists may still be out there. I’m trying my best to co-operate with you but if you find me that intolerable then I could drop you off right here in the forest.” he says, his movements coming to a halt again.

“Urghh…Fine, I got it I got it. I’ll shut up.” Subaru says, breathing out a heavy restricted huff. 'This stupid pain in my body makes even breathing hard'. A few minutes of uncomfortable silence passes between them, only occasionally being broken by the rustling of branches and leaves that were pushed aside by Julius.

‘Somehow, this tension is more unbearable than when Subaru was muttering under his breath…Maybe I could try talking to him to lighten the mood.’ he thought, thinking of topics for the conversation.

“The weather is quite lovely today, wouldn’t you say?” The knight hums, looking up at the boundless crystal blue sky as the birds from above soar pass the fluffy white clouds, happily chirping. The sun shined brilliantly, its golden rays illuminating the path ahead through cracks between layers upon layers of verdant leaves, reflecting off the delicate dew droplets of the grass below.

‘…The weather? Really?! Small talk about _The weather_ of all things?!. I don't know what's worse, this pain in the neck or the pain in my chest because of Emilia-tan's absence.’ he thought, brooding about the situation. He could only mutter back: “…Yeah, sure. It’s nice…I guess.” ‘The only thing I can see right now is your stupid white cape. How the hell am I supposed to know?’.

“Are you comfortable?” Julius asks, wondering if the position he put Subaru in is necessary at all. “What do you think?” Subaru retorts sarcastically, crossing his arms at the question. “…Right…” The knight replies, feeling the former awkwardness return.

“Are your injuries healing alright?” he asked, wanting to see how the boy was dealing with the aftermath of the fights. “Why do you care? Wasn’t it your idea to beat me up in the first place?” Subaru retorted. “Wha- No, that’s not what I… Never mind”. Julius said, sighing at the seemingly hopeless conversation. 'Does he think I'm talking about when I challenged him to a duel?'.

The wind started to pick up, blowing Julius’s white cape into Subaru’s face. ‘…Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, this happens. And aren’t medieval knights supposed to be in “shining armor”? ’ Subaru thought. “Hey, why don’t you knights wear any armor?” He asked curiously.

“Well… I mean, why should I? It only slows me down and I don’t have much use for it since the enemy never manages to injure me anyways.” He replied honestly. ‘Jeez. Cocky much?’ Subaru thought, rolling his eyes. “What about you, Subaru? Shouldn’t you be wearing something more protective than your current outfit if you plan on rushing into conflicts again?” he asked, concerned about the boy’s health.

He had seen the damage the two earlier battles did to his body and worried how long he would be able to hold out before crumbling entirely, if anymore fights were to come his way which they surely will.

“Why should I? This thing is still as cool as ever” he exclaimed, a small sense of pride over his tracksuit. “You know, I think you would look great in a dress” Julius absentmindedly commented.

‘…what’.

"Honestly, have you ever tried one before? I'm sure a blue one with frills would match your hair...".

‘…the’.

"Or maybe a red one...".

‘…HECK!!!...Did he find out? Crap what if he did? DAMNIT! If word gets out that I crossdressed then my reputation is as good as gone!’.

“Oh! perhaps a long, elegant royal purple dress reaching all the way down to your ankle, topped off with red ribbons…. ”

‘…CRAAAPPPP!!! He knows he knows HE KNOWS,’ he thought nervously, ‘I need to end this guy wait no he’s too strong for me to beat. Maybe I’ll poison his food, nice and simple. Or maybe I could hire a couple of assassins to do the job, it’ll be an untraceable crime’.

And just like that, the knight rambled on and on. Not noticing how the boy’s eyes got more shadowed, the longer he spoke. ‘…What did I do to deserve this? First, the asshole saw me when I was groveling in pain, then he gave me a piggyback ride. After that, I fell on top of him with my head on his chest. Now, I’m slung over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes, having to hear him say crap like “You’d look good in a dress”. Seriously, what did I ever do to you god?!!?!’.

After what felt like an eon of walking, Subaru finally couldn’t take it anymore, flatly whispering: “…Shut…up”. “What was that Subaru?” Julius asked, quirking his eyebrow. “…Please just shut up, Julius”. “Hmm? Are we on first name basis now?”. “Just . shut . up . already”. And with that the two went back to the former silence.

The knight could see the campsite in the distance along with Emilia-sama waiting there. 'It'd be quite the embarrassment for Subaru if he's caught looking like this I assume' Julius briefly ponders. He moved both arms to Subaru’s sides, grabbing and lifting him in the air by his waist before putting him down to right of the knight. He slung Subaru’s left arm over his shoulder and then proceeded to lead him back to direction of the camp.

Once they emerged from the bushes, all eyes were on them, The soldiers breaths hitched like they couldn’t believe the sight they were seeing. “Subaru!” Emilia-sama called out, rushing to the boy’s side. Hearing the familiar voice, said boy’s head perked up instantly. His eyes lit up like fireworks at the sight of the girl. “Emilia-tan!” he said back, sliding his arm off of the knight’s shoulder and running to girl’s embraced.

Seeing that Subaru was now safe and no longer needed his assistance. Julius returned to his team.

“Sir, what happened? Why are your clothes so dirty? Did the cultists ambush you?” one of his men asked. “No. Nothing like that,” he says, quickly glancing over Subaru before turning his gaze back to his men “I was merely careless and lost my footing is all” He replied reassuringly.

“But leaving that aside. Men! Regroup and give me a full report on your findings.” He ordered, his voice becoming strict and solemn once more. “SIR. YES, SIR!” the knights answered in unison.

* * *

**[A few hours later]**

After the battle with the archbishop was over, their mission was now accomplished which meant they could finally head home.The ride back was a bumpy one but over all the atmosphere was peaceful, maybe boring for some but to a knight: ‘Times like these are precious. We need all the rest we can get. Since we don’t know when the next battle will be, we need to be prepared’ he thought.

Then out of nowhere, a carriage overtakes his. From behind, he could make out the figures of Subaru and Emilia-sama merrily chatting in the back of the carriage. Subaru’s smile was so wide that it was hard to imagine that he was the same person who had such a pained look on his face a while back.

Seeing the two so happy, he couldn’t help but think back to Subaru’s careless words in the past. ‘You say you’re her knight and perhaps those aren’t just the mere words of a love sick fool … But are you willing to risk it all to prove your worth?’ he grimly thought, his mind wondered about the path Subaru’s decisions would ultimately lead him to.

He then focused back onto the road ahead, basking in the wistful air. ‘What a wonderful evening this is’ he thought casually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is wondering about the crossdressing thing. Yes it's canon  
> Subaru crossdressed not once but twice. The first is in his original world and the 2nd is in the Re:Zero world  
> My Fair Bad Lady (マイ・フェア・バッドレディ) is a side story featured in Gekkan Comic Alive. It was later adapted in Re:Zero Tanpenshuu Volume 3.  
> I'ma be honest "Schwarz Natsumi" looked hella fine.


	2. "Dodge!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where they spar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy the chapter and have a great time.

> I won't let you be disappointed;
> 
> I will show you my fighting spirit.
> 
> -Kris Wu

* * *

**[ SUBARU’S SIDE OF THE STORY ]**

The sky was a clear crystal blue with puffs of clouds here and there being effortlessly blown by the pleasant breeze. The sun was obscured, casting shade to the ground below with only a few rays of light getting through. The air was light and cool with a subtle scent of baked bread coming from a nearby pastry shop. In other words, it was a nice afternoon in the royal capital of the Lugnica kingdom. So much so that Subaru decided to take a stroll to clear his mind.

‘Hmm… _Arghh_ …What should I do? What should I _do_? I want to protect Emilia-tan but the only times I’ve been of any use to her is when I have someone else helping me fight or by using “Return by death”’.

The reality of his own powerlessness loomed over his mind at every turn, yet all he could do in response was let out an angry huff.

The image of the half-elf flashed through his mind, her smile was kind as always but the pain he once saw in those lovely purple orbs as she lay there dying in his arms and all he could do was hold her close, is something that he could never forget .

‘I’m supposed to be her knight and yet…I can’t do anything for her’. Thinking that, he grabbed a fistful of his hair in frustration. “ _Urghh_ …Damn. Curse this weak neet body”.

‘If only I were strong, then I could... Wait, That’s it! If I’m not strong enough, then I should become stronger! No, I _need_ to become stronger… for her sake’. The thought filled him with a new sense of determination but a question soon followed: “How?”.

‘I can’t ask Wilhelm again. He needs to rest after the fight with the White Wha-’ not paying attention to where he was going, he turned a corner only to bump into none other than: ‘Reinhard!’ “Reinhard!”.

“Ahh Subaru. Good to see you again” the red head greeted with a friendly smile. “Yeah same here. What are you up to man?” the boy’s face lit up at the sight of the knight. ‘Maybe I could ask him to-’ “I’m on patrol duty at the moment” and then his smile dropped. ‘Never mind then’.

“Is something the matter, Subaru? You look a bit down” Reinhard says, placing a hand on his chin.

“Nah, it’s nothing. I was gonna ask if you could teach me some moves but it looks like you’re busy right now” he replies, feeling disappointed at the missed opportunity.

“Someone to teach you? Hmm…” Reinhard hummed in a thoughtful tone. “Why not ask Julius?”.

‘Reinhard…you’ve got to be kidding me, right?’. Subaru stayed silent, looking the other dead in the eyes.

*Staaaaaaaare*

“Subaru?”.

“You’re not joking, are you?”.

“Why would I joke? Aren’t you two friends? ”.

“Oh, no reason. Just…you know…THE FACT THAT THE BASTARD BEAT ME _HALF TO DEATH_ LAST TIME WE “SPARRED”” Resisting the urge to stomp his foot, he settles with crossing his arms.

‘Friend my ass. He humiliated me in front of Emilia-tan!’ His brows knitted together so closely, it looked like there was only one eyebrow.

“Seriously, if I didn’t know any better I’d have thought he was out to kill me”.

“Subaru, Julius did not mean you any harm” Reinhard tries to reason with the other.

“Well he sure hit me _pretty_ passionately for a guy who “didn’t mean any harm”” his body still ached when he thought about it, his wounds have healed but the memories are still fresh in his head.

Reinhard Breathes out an exhausted sigh and with a shake of his head, he says:“He didn’t have a choice in the matter”.

“What do you mean he didn’t have a choice” Lifting a perplexed brow at the knight’s words.

“Did no one tell you?” Reinhard seems surprised, his tone made it sound like Subaru didn’t know an obvious fact.

“Tell me what?”.

“Ah…I see,” the red haired knight says, seemingly realizing something, “If Julius chose not to tell you then it’s not my place to say anything. Trust me, he really didn’t have a choice”.

“What are you going on about?” His curiosity grew but his interest on the matter remained low.

“It’s nothing. In any case, I’m sure Julius would be glad to teach you. He’s training in the knight training area right now” The boy chose not to dig further, going along with the change of topic.

“And where’s that?” though the idea didn’t exactly make Subaru jump from joy, he supposed it was worth a shot.

‘After all, I know from personal experience just how hard the asshole can hit…when holding back’ Instantly irritated at the reminder of Julius’s smirk when he told Subaru that fact. ‘I’d hate to admit but I suppose he’s not a total jackass since he didn’t leave me to die in the forest’.

“The place where you two dueled”.

“Oh” ‘That place again’.

“Hmm… I guess I could give it a shot. Thanks, Reinhard”

“No problem, Subaru” with that the two parted ways.

‘What did Reinhard mean by that anyways? Ahh, Never mind it for now. I have to look for that stupid arena’.

* * *

**[ JULIUS’S SIDE OF THE STORY ]**

*Clang* *Clang*

Loud sounds of violently clashing metal rang out through the air followed by an abrupt:

*Thud*

“Ughh! I can’t…” *huff* “believe you beat me again!”

“It was a good match ,Gareth.” Extending an arm to his opponent, Julius smiles graciously.

“Yeah, yeah. Good match or whatever.” The aforementioned looks at the hand given to him as if confused by the gesture before using his own strength to push himself off the ground. Julius looks at Gareth not with surprise but merely an unimpressed frown.

“Let’s go again!” pausing to suck in a breath he continues, “I’ll definetly make you kneel, Julius Juukulius!”.

“Right, right. How about you let those injuries heal first?” eyeing the many scratches and bruises that littered the other person’s body. They were most likely caused by many nights of training.

“Tsk. You!-”.

“Yo. Assho- I mean Julius, you there?”.

Informed of another presence, the two gingerly turn their head to the direction of the voice, readying their swords.

“Woah, woah. Guys calm down”.

‘Wait...that voice’ Jullius recognizes the voice as the same one that screeched profanities into his ear some time ago.

“Gareth, stand down.” Julius commands, sheathing his sword.

Hesitant at the order but the former still obliges nonetheless, lowering his weapon but never loosening his grip.

A boy around 17-18 years old emerged from the shadows with both arms raised in defeat, wearing a surrendered smile.

“YOU!!!!” Gareth plunges forward with lightning speed, preparing to thrust his sword through the stranger’s heart.

“AHHHH!!!” closing his eyes, he tried to shield his body from the oncoming attack of the steel blade with his arms. With bated breath, the boy awaited the feel of cold metal grinding against his warm insides…but it never came. All he heard was a:

* **Clang** *

“…Huh?” When the boy opened his eyes, the sight before him left him speechless.

The sword that was meant to pierce his heart clashed fiercely against the blade of the knight standing in front of him, effectively shielding him from the attack.

“Gareth, _Stand down_ ” Julius’s voice was dangerously low, bordering on threatening. In one swift movement, the knight sent the other weapon flying a few yards away.

“Wha-? Why are you defending him? You know what he did! He spat on the name of every knight in history! He! He-!” Gareth looked like he was just about ready to jump over Julius and strangle Subaru with his bare hands or combust from anger overload. Maybe both.

“He also played a vital part in the battle against the White Whale and the archbishop Betelguese” Julius calmly replies.

“You-! URGHH! You’re ridiculous!!! You had the chance to do what EVERYBODY wanted to do. But you didn’t! WHY! Why didn’t you ki-”.

“ _Gareth._ Threatening an unarmed civilian is _not_ the action of a noble knight and an inexcusable crime” with that said, the knight moved his sword to a defensive position while his free hand went behind his back, ready to push the boy away at any moment. “I will have to enact the laws, even if it’s you”.

“ARGH!! FINE!” turning sharply on his heels, Gareth picked up his sword. Giving one final glare to the two before stomping out the door dramatically.

“I’ll see you at the tavern, Gareth” Julius called out to the shrinking shadow.

Julius sighed deeply at the other’s childish behavior. Rubbing his temple, the knight returned his sword to its sheath once more.

“What was he going on about?” Subaru pokes out from behind the knight’s back.

“Oh” ‘Almost forgot about him’ “That was Gareth, he’s a knight in training. Sometimes I train him”.

“Knight? With that temper?”.

“Yes, he… may be ridiculously reckless and hot-headed at times," Julius eyes Subaru, "but I know he’s got a good heart. There’s no denying that he’s capable of great things,” He turns to face Subaru with an enigmatic smile, saying “…Like somebody I know”.

“Who? Reinhard? Felix?”.

“Hah… Never mind. So, what brings you here, Subaru?”.

“Well…I was wondering…If you…could …umm…” Subaru fumbles to get his words out.

“Train you to fight to protect Emilia-sama?” The knight says, going to grab a wooden sword.

“Yeah! How did you know what I wanted to ask?”.

“Your face tells all”.

“My face?” .

‘And also that look in your eyes’ Julius thought.

“Yes. And do try not to be so hesitant next time”.

“Yeah, but I didn’t wanna sound lame or weak”.

“Subaru,” The knight’s gaze was stern but also kind, “Asking for help is never weak and I am not ashamed to admit that I too needed the assistance of others”.

“…Hah. You’re pulling my leg”.

“Not at all. In fact, I think you are rather strong for wanting to better yourself. Not for your sake but for the sake of others”.

“Now you’re just flattering me”.

“Trust me. I have nothing to gain from flattering you” turning his head, the knight threw him a smirk over his shoulder.

“…Why you-!”.

“Catch.” Julius throws Subaru a wooden sword.

“Ahh!” The sword almost slips out of his arms but Subaru manages to clumsily catch the bokken. ‘Heh. Holding this makes feel nostalgic’.

“We will start your lesson now”.

“Oh, right!”

“I will make the assumption that you’re not going to be wearing any armor, correct?”.

“Yeah”.

“Then let’s start with some basic dodging techniques. First, As a general rule, you only have time for a single movement when "dodging" a sword strike ,fencers sometimes call this "voiding", and that movement must be fast”.

“Right”.

“This means the only really viable voids are single steps or jumps that start and end in a balanced position”.

“Right.”

“Sword fights can have periods of seeming inactivity, but when one party has an advantage, attacks can come very fast in quick succession. Thus, rolls and other acrobatic maneuvers are almost always too slow, don't recover fast enough, or both”.

“Right”.

“Did you get all of that?”.

“Yeah, you can skip this part. I already know the basic principles of swordsmanship” .

“Is that so?”. The look on Julius's face could easily be read as either impressed or disbelief and Subaru didn't know how he felt about both options.

“I actually did some kendo in middle school for a bit .” Subaru says, resting his bokken on his shoulder.

“And I assume this kendo you’re talking about is a martial art that involves swordsmanship?”.

‘Oh, right. Kendo isn’t a thing in this world’.

“Something like that”.

“Hmm…If that’s the case we can skip straight to practice. I’ll demonstrate then you will follow my example”.

Julius moves to stand face to face with what looks like a training dummy.

“As I had said previously, one of the simplest ways to dodge an oncoming attack is to evade, either to the left, right or back.” He says, looking at the supposedly unmoving dummy. Then suddenly it comes to life, raising its bokken to swing down at Julius.

‘Must be a magical dummy’

He moves to the left but at the last minute, the dummy twists the hilt to the right, striking Julius on the shoulder.

*Tap*

“It is an effective defensive action but as you saw, it has its drawbacks. You’re reliant on your judgement of your opponent’s timing, reach and so on. If they do something unexpected, you will not have time to react. However, when executed correctly, you’d have the advantage”.

The dummy brings down its bokken again but this time it doesn’t do anything more, allowing Julius to evade the attack and swing his bokken inches away from its side.

Subaru listens closely to the words spoken, his eyes flicking over to Julius’s figure briefly.

‘Put your opponent at a disadvantage huh. I wonder…’

As if reading his mind, Julius glances at Subaru through the corner of his eye.

“Unless your opponent is skilled and experienced. In which case they will not expose themselves any more than necessary during the attack.” He smiles knowingly, looking back at the dummy.

‘Did he just-?’.

“The next defensive action is called a block. When the opponent cuts at you, you raise up and put the blade between yourself and your opponent’s. There are different ways to do this”.

The dummy swings straight down but Julius instinctively raises his bokken with one hand to block the attack dead in its tracks.

*Thunk*

The dummy strikes again. This time Julius switches to using both of his hand, one supporting the hilt and the other near the edge, making his sword diagonal to the dummy’s.

*Thuunk*

“This is a common method of blocking with not many faults”.

“Why are you still going over the basics?”. 'I'm so booooorreed'.

“The basics are fundamental building blocks for advancement and you will soon see why we’re going over them”.

‘It has been a long time so I guess a reminder wouldn’t hurt’.

“Next is the parry. Rather than merely stopping the opponent’s blade, you can counter using the opponent’s energy to power your counter. This can be combined with blocking or parrying”.

'Crap. My eyes feel heavy...' Subaru thought

The dummy strikes at Julius and as usual, Julius raises one hand to block the attack. The dummy’s bokken slides off the smooth surface, creating an opening for Julius to aim for the dummy’s neck.

“Finally we’ve got the counter cut. This is similar to a fire-water attack type where one will counter the other. For example, when your opponent does a downward cut, you can use it to both block and strike back at them”.

'Can't...Must stay awak....'

*Thwack*

The dummy brings it bokken straight down and Julius swings his to the left, effectively breaking the attack and hitting the dummy.

"ZZzzzz...". Quiet snoring could be heard to the left of Julius and made him stop to find the source.

“That should be enough for now” The knight says, turning back to the boy. Taking a few steps torwards Subaru, he looks down at the idle figure sleeping before him.

'He's asleep'. Julius pinched the center of his eyebrows, sighing. '....As expected of Subaru'.

“Seems like you’ve understood the basics. Now…Dodge!”.

*Bonk*

“Huh-?” Before Subaru could react, the knight had already smacked him square him in the forehead with the bokken then elegantly move it back to his side.

“Ahh! What the heck?” scrambling to his feet, Subaru rubs his poor forehead.

“Put your practice to good use and try evading my strikes, Subaru. The battlefield waits for no one”.

“You can’t just-“ .

*Bonk* *Bonk*

“AHH! ”.

“You should’ve paid more attention, Subaru. The first rule of dodging is to…Dodge!” .

*Thunk*

Subaru brings his bokken up to block the strike that was so close he could count the chipped off pieces on the bokken. ‘IS IT? Or is this actually an excuse to beat me up with a wooden stick?!’.

“Very good. You’re finally learning”. His smile was deceptively approving but his eyes said otherwise.

“Heh…Not too bad, eh?” ‘Guess the one hundred push-ups, sit-ups, and squats a day I used to do with my dad will finally pay off’.

“Indeed”.

*Bonk*

“Argh!! Why didn’t you warn me?”.

“In real combat, your opponent should not be expected to warn you of their attack”.

“Right”. Subaru rolls up his sleeves, his eyes gleaming with newly found excitement, “Okay, get at me then!”.

“My pleasure”.

*Thunk*

“Keep in mind, sword fighting is in many ways similar to an entangled dance”.

“A dance that ends with death, got it”.

“Don’t think about it in such a primitive way, Subaru. The art of the sword doesn’t always have to be bloody”.

*Bonk* *Thunk* ***Thunk***

Julius attacks 3 consecutive times, each attack chaining with the last, unyielding, calculated, confident.

With his final strike, The knight swung straight down, bringing Subaru to his knees. The sharp blade was a mere 4 centimeters away, only held back by Subaru’s horizontal block, one hand at the hilt and one hand near the tip.

‘Crap, he’s going at this like I killed his mother. He’s really serious.’ Julius turned his back to Subaru, moving to get good distance between the two.

“Shouldn’t you go easier on me?” Subaru’s hands had the bokken’s hilt pattern engraved in his palm from holding it so tightly.

“I am going easy on you.” Julius states.

‘Is this bastard doing this on purpose?’.

‘Subaru is doing quite well. I’m surprised he was able to hold off that many attacks.’

*Thunk* *Bonk*

‘Damn, how long has it been? It feels like we’ve been going at this for hours. My arms are basically limped noodles’ Subaru’s entire forehead was a blanket of sweat, he swore his hands were changing color.

‘Rigid breathing, firm grip but not stiff, focused eyes, careful movements’ Julius thought.

*Thunk* *Thunk* *Bonk* * **Bonk***

‘350 strikes: 113 successfully blocked, 33 late blocks, 16 combination of blocking, 34 consecutive blocks without breaking. 204 failed attempts, 56 missteps, 78 misjudgement of action.’ The knight carefully analyzed Subaru’s actions.

*Huff* *Huff* “That all you got?” The boy was panting like he had just ran a marathon.

“You did well, squire. With more patience and practice, you may even make me use 0.1% of my strength.” The knight teased.

‘Squire?’.

“Yeah, yeah” *Huff* “Keep talking like that and I’ll wipe that smirk off your face”. Bluffing even when he was backed into a corner felt almost instinctual for Subaru.

“You should sit down and catch your breath. In the meantime, I’ll explain the basics of attacking your opponent”.

“Sounds good” giving a weak thumbs up, Subaru plopped down on his butt unceremoniously.

“Remember, always keep a good distance between you and your opponent, never swing wildly without thought and only get close when you strike”.

The dummy tries to strike Julius’s side but he quickly blocks the attack with one hand, pushing both the dummy’s and his blade to its neck.

*Thwack*

“And when you strike, you should use both hands to hold the handle. I am using only one because I’ve been training this art for a long time. Understood?”

“Yeah” *Huff*

“Good. One thing to keep in mind, always aim for the opponent’s neck if it is exposed second is the opponent’s sides and thirdly is their knees.”

Julius swings his down, aiming directly at the neck. The dummy counter cuts, stopping the knight’s attack but he swivels it around, knocking the blade out of his opponent’s hand.

*Thwack* *Thwack*

“You can disarm your opponent but you must be careful, this takes a lot of practice and even then it is still a risky move which may not always work. Now for the last one”.

The dummy jabs its bokken forward, getting easily knocked away by Julius. He follows this up with blow to the knee, making it lose its footing then block the attack from above, using the momentum to hit the dummy’s side, dragging his blade across its chest. Finally, a strike to the wooden head, slicing it clean off.

*Thwack* *Thwack* * **CRACK** *

'Did he just use wood to slice wood?! How is that even possible?!?' 

“…And how am I supposed to do that with a wooden sword?”. He knows he shouldn't be surprised at this point. He has seen far more incredible things like a giant flying white whale and even magic but when the "asshole knight" is the one who makes the impossible possible, Subaru can't help wanting to prove that he can do those things, too. Maybe do it even better than him.

"Practice" Julius replies casually.

‘Practice breaking the laws of the universe, yeah’.

“Now you will combine both defense and offensive methods to fight and evade my attacks. If you manage to hit me once, the lesson will end immediately”.

‘Only once…’. His grip tightens impatiently.

“If I hit you, the lesson ends?”.

“Yes. Now show me what you’ve learned, Subaru”.

“You're on!”.

*Thunk*

‘It might just be all the adrenaline talking but this actually feels awesome. Maybe I should’ve asked him to teach me sooner’ Subaru feels a thrilled smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Julius's posture was impeccable as always. His back amazingly straight, his legs nimble and swift, his arm sliced through the air like paper with every swing. Subaru didn't even dare look at the knight's face because he was in fear of both missing the attacks and getting sucked into the intense gaze directed at him.

*Thunk*

His movements were graceful, elegant, poised, vicious and precise all at once. You could tell with one glance the years of difference between the two. Even though they were using the same basic techniques, Julius still overpowered Subaru with one arm tauntingly behind his back.

The same overwhelming feeling he felt when he fought the knight for the first time came crawling back. Though most didn’t call it a battle, they called it a Slaughter on Julius’s part.

Subaru swore he was going mad from exhaustion because that was the only plausible explanation for how Julius’s once terrifying swordsmanship could become so…“Cool”.

“What was that, Subaru?” Julius halts his attack.

“Oh uh it’s nothin-”.

*Bonk*

“What was that for?!!!”.

“Talking is a distraction. Focus”.

"Urgh. Right."

*Thunk* *Thunk* *Thunk* *Thunk* *Thunk*

*Huff* ‘All this sweat in my eye is making it hard to see anything’.

“Tired already, Subaru?”

‘…But I don’t need eyes to know the asshole’s smirking it up over there’.

“You need to bend your knees more. Posture is key in all forms of martial arts”.

“Arghh…”. *Huff* *Huff*

“This is only the first lesson, Squire”.

‘I only have to hit him once. Just once, dammit!’.

‘His eyes are cloudy’ Julius thought.

Subaru plunged forward, swinging wildly without thought. But unfortunately, his blurred vision made him miss the bump in the ground, tripping over it anti-climatically.

“Are you alright, Subaru?” Coming to the boy’s side, Julius prepares to extend a hand out to him. ‘Maybe it’s time for a break’.

‘NOW!!!’ Subaru swung his bokken upwards, seeing clear shock run through the knight’s face. Yet again, the knight’s many years of training helped him instinctively counter the attack, redirecting it someplace else.

* **Bfump** *

‘Crap…I hit him in the balls.’ Subaru thought.

**“SMAACK”**

“…Oops” Was the last thing the boy heard before everything faded to black..

* * *

**[ SUBARU’S SIDE OF THE STORY ]**

“If it is …for…walk alone,”

‘Uggh. My head feels like it’s splitting open… That voice…Rem?’ Subaru grunts.

“I...you…up” .

‘What’s she saying?…Where…am I? This place looks so familiar. The last thing I remember is…hitting the asshole’s…Ughh…’.

“As…walk, we will share the burden…support each other”.

“Wasn’t this what you said to me that morning?”.

‘This place…Don’t tell me-’ Panic sinks in along with realization.

“Show me how awesome you can be, Subaru-kun”.

‘No…No…No No No NO…NOOO!!!! WHAT THE HECK!!! DON’T TELL ME HE KILLED ME?!! THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING! THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!!! JULIUS, YOU PIECE OF- ’.

“Subaru-kun?”.

“please…please let this be a joke”.

“Subaru-kun?”.

“I have to redo everything. The white whale, belteguese and- and-“.

“ _Subaru-kun_ ”

‘...Rejecting Rem...again.’ The thought pained him, but he couldn’t lie, not to her.

“…Rem.” The words were stuck in the back of his throat but he felt strangely calm about it all, like his mind was stuck in a state of constant panic and at ease at the same time.

“Yes?” Rem’s tone sounded like she already knew what he was about to say, which made it all the more difficult.

“I love Emilia”.

“Why?”. It was a simple question with only one word.

‘Why?’ Rem’s words echoed in his mind aimlessly.

“Well, that’s simple. It’s because she…umm…because she…”.

He tried to remember why he had fallen for her in the first place, what it was about her that made his heart skip beats but nothing came up. 'What the heck?' Standing there he asked himself.

‘Why do I love her?’. The thought had never crossed his mind before. He loved Emilia and that’s all he knew. Reflecting on his feelings was a luxury he couldn't afford due to all the chaos in his life up until now.

‘Why can’t I think of anything?’ Trying harder, he tried to force his mind to come up with a reason, any reason but nothing came up. ‘Think! THINK! This should be easy, so why isn’t it?’. 

“Subaru-kun”.

“Huh?”.

“Subaru-kun”.

“What is it, Rem?”.

“Subaru-kun”.

“Rem?”.

“SUBARU-KUN”.

“Ahhh!! Huh? Wha-? Hnng!”. Subaru's eyes flutter open, hands already clutching his side.

“You’re finally awake!” Rem exclaims with clear joy dancing in her tone.

“Awake? What do you mean?”. His head spun nauseatingly before coming to a stop.

“You’ve been asleep for 2 hours. Sir Julius said that he accidentally knocked you out when he was teaching you”.

“…So I’m alive?”. His lips trembled, not believing what he heard.

“What do you mean Subaru-kun?”.

‘I’m alive…I’M ALIVE!!!’ Subaru’s eyes were spilling joy. An ocean of relief washed over him.

“I’M ALIVE, REM!” he says, pulling the blue haired maid in for a hug by her waist.

“Ahh!” Initially Shocked by the boys sudden embrace, she slowly leans into his hug. Her eyes pooling with tenderness as she warps her arms around his head, gently wiping away his tears.

“Yes you are, Subaru-kun” She says, gently petting his hair.

Pulling away from the maiden, Subaru finally took notice of the neatly wrapped bandages around his head and his new change of clothes.

“Thanks for carrying me back and giving me bandages, Rem. But you know…You didn’t have to change my umm…clothes.” The boy fumbles over his words, pink dusted his cheeks.

“Oh, no. I didn’t have the pleasure of doing that”.

“Huh? Then who did? Wait. Was it Emili-!”

“Nope,” She cuts him off hurriedly, her voice was oddly cheerful, “It was all Sir Julius”.

“J…Ju…Juli…us?” His face turned fifty shades of white at the name.

“Yes”.

“He…changed my…clothes?”

“ I intended to do those things but Sir Julius insisted that he do it instead. Saying something along the lines of: “A lady should never have to change a man’s clothes””.

And in that moment, Subaru’s world caved in on itself. His head slammed back into the pillow, his vision blurry again.

‘Maybe it’d have been better if he did kill me’.

“Subaru-kun? What’s wrong?”.

“Huh?”.

“You’re face is looking awfully pale”. She touches his cheeks worriedly.

“…Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing”.

“Hmm…Subaru-kun, Sir Julius is waiting to speak with you”.

“What does he want?”.

‘Hasn’t he caused me enough suffering already?’.

As if reading his mind, the maid spoke once more.

“Subaru-kun, Sir Julius has been waiting for you to wake up for the 2 hours that you were unconscious. I tried to convince him to leave, I promised that I’d tell him as soon as you woke up but he insisted he stay to see how you were doing”.

“…He what?”.

“He felt really guilty about injuring you, Subaru-kun.”

‘That’s not why I’m upset, Rem. I know he didn’t mean it but just the thought of having to redo everything after finally getting it right is unbearable’.

“And where is he now, Rem?”.

“He’s waiting in the hallway outside”.

“Alright, Alright. I’ll go talk to him. But only because you convinced me”.

“Mmm” Rem smiles, gently titling her head.

Grabbing the doorknob, Subaru twists it open, being bombarded with the blinding evening light.

“Subaru?”.

His eyes quickly adjust to the light, turning his head to the source of the voice.

“Yo, asshole knight”. Julius smiled at the usual nickname insult.

“I’m glad to see that you’re alright”.

“Yeah…”

An awkward silence falls between the two of them, both having something to say but never able to manage it into words.

Subaru is the first to break the silence, saying: “Uhh…Julius? About…you know… _that,_ ” Subaru sheepishly scratches his neck, making vague hand gestures, “I’m…uhh sorry. That wasn’t very cool of me to…yeah sorry” adverting his eyes, Subaru tries to find anything that isn’t Julius to look at. “It was an accident, I didn’t try to do…that”

“I am aware, Subaru. And I too apologize for injuring you.”

“Yeah”

Then back to silence.

‘This is so awkward! What am I supposed to say? “I’m sorry I hit your balls”?’ Subaru shuddered at the thought.

Taking in a deep breath and exhaling, Subaru continues. “Let’s agree to never speak of this again, Julius”.

“Agreed”. The situation was something both young men silently understood even without exchanging words.

‘He called me by my name again’. Julius notes off-hand.

“I was unlucky today is all”. Subaru dons his signature playful smile.

“But I guess so were you, sir "If your opponent is skilled, they will not expose themselves any more that necessary during the attack"” Crossing his arms, the boy puffs up his chest confidently.

“…Hah…Hahaha. I suppose that’s one way to look at it” Julius’s laugh is a mixture of amusement and fondness. 'At least he remembers what I taught him'.

“Wha-? Are you looking down on me?” The air of discomfort slowly lifts as they go back to their usual antics.

“No, no. It’s not that. You’re really something else, Subaru”.

“What are you going on about now?”.

“It’s nothing. Speaking of the next lesson. It’ll take place in the garden area of this manor. I have met with master Roswaal to ask for his permission”.

‘Did he make you bathe with him, too? Or was it just me?’ Subaru thought.

“Why? Isn’t a training arena more suitable for training?”.

“It is but I assume your mishap will happen quite frequently so to save me the trouble of bringing you all the way back every single time. We will be training here ”.

‘Let’s hope for the sake of your future children that it never happens again’ Subaru thought.

“Fair enough”.

“And Subaru”.

“Yeah?”

“Make sure to practice on your own time, outside of the lessons”.

“Got it”.

“Well, that’s all I wanted to say. I have no further business here. I shall take my leave”.

“Alright”.

“Are you not going to see one of your guests out?”.

‘If you were Emilia-tan maybe’.

“You have legs, you’ll figure it out”. Subaru turns his back to Julius and with a dismissive wave of his hand, he’s off to someplace else. "And don't forget. I'm definitely gonna kick your ass next time" his words echoes through the empty hallway

“Such awful manors” Julius whispers to nobody in particular, smiling to himself.

* * *

|Three hours ago|

**[ JULIUS’S SIDE OF THE STORY ]**

‘This is already the second time I’ve had to carry him on my back. It’s starting to become a frequent occurrence at this rate.’ Julius lets out a long sigh, adjusting the unconscious weight on his back. ‘Still…850 hits and he managed to block 321 times while dealing 478 strikes. And I…suppose he did…hit me. I’m certainly impressed if not a little…shocked’.

Glancing back, he sees the boy sleeping soundly, his breath even accompanied with light snoring.

‘I’m not sure how I feel about his…methods, however. Not the most honorable exactly.’ As Julius thinks to himself, Subaru’s head slowly titters, nuzzling itself against Julius’s neck.

Suddenly all of the knight’s attention is focused on the boy, only able to think one thing.

“…He’s warm”.

* * *

**[ REM’S SIDE OF THE STORY ]**

‘Where is Subaru-kun? It’s getting really late’ Rem leans her head against the window, eyes looking down at the village in the distance worriedly. Sighing, she removes her head from the glass, about to go back to her duties when she notices something in the corner of her eye. “Subaru-kun?”.

Almost tripping over herself, she hurriedly rushes down the stairs to the manor’s entrance when she spots Subaru’s unconscious figure being carried by the knight named Julius.

She didn’t notice it from afar but standing in front of the two now, she sees that Subaru’s body has a few tiny scratches and bruises, his clothes are dirty but overall he doesn’t appear to be severely injured aside from the swelling on his head.

‘He’s not bleeding at least.’ Feeling a small bit of relief wash over her but unease still lingers in her heart.

“Lady Rem, I’m sorry to bother you at this hour of the evening but as you can see, Subaru is injured. Fortunately, this is not a fatal wound”.

“What happened, Sir Julius?”.

“Subaru asked me to teach him how to fight, the training was going well until…an unfortunate accident happened causing me to impulsively deal a harsh blow to his head” Rem takes in the information with careful consideration.

‘She looks worried’ Julius thought.

“Thank you for carrying Subaru back, Sir Julius. And I apologize for any trouble he caused you” She steps forward to take Subaru off of the knight’s shoulders and into her arms but before she could the former had moved away.

“I’m sorry, lady Rem but if I may, I wish to carry him to his room and wait for him to come to. We have some matters we need to discuss”.

“Sir Julius, wouldn’t it inconvenience you? I could just inform you as soon as Subaru wakes up”.

“Thank you for the offer, lady Rem. But this matter is quite urgent I assure you”.

‘And it’s the least I could for him since it is my fault that he’s in this state’.

“I see. Right this way, Sir Julius”.

* * *

The maid waits impatiently outside for the knight to finish wrapping the boy’s bandages and changing his clothes. Sometimes she paces the hallway, throwing glances at the closed door every so often. Then suddenly the door opens with a *click*.

“I am done, Lady Rem”.

“Thank you, Sir Julius”.

“Now, if you’ll excuse. I need to speak to Sir Roswaal then I’ll return shortly to check on Subaru’s condition”.

The maid nods, rushing pass the door. When she enters the room, the first thing that catches her eyes is the illuminated figure lying on the bed. She sits down besides Subaru, gently squeezing his hand.

“Subaru-kun” She calls out to him, her voice barely above a whisper. She uses her free hand to move a wisp of hair from the boy’s face, gently tucking it back in place.

She feels the boy’s hand wrap around hers, twitching ever so slightly.

“…e…”.

“Subaru-kun?” She looks at his face expectantly, waiting for him to open his eyes.

"Subaru-kun" a hinge of desperation seeped into her tone.

“…E..Emilia…” He mumbles softly. Subaru’s words weigh her heart down like blocks of bricks but she shakes off the feeling with a weak smile.

Bringing his hand to her lips, she kisses it gently. Whispering “Please wake up, Subaru-kun”.

‘I want to see you again’.

* * *

**|** Meanwhile **|**

**[ GARETH’S SIDE OF THE STORY ]**

*Chug* *Chug*

“G-Gareth! Don’t you think you should slow down. You’ll be dead at this rate!” The bartender said.

“PSSShhh. Naw. Everythang good. Like what *hick* e-even is friendship-p?”.

“Uhhh…What?”.

“PFFT I’ll see you at the tavern my ass, J-Juliu-” *Bang*.

Gareth’s head slams on the table violently.

“Andddd he’s unconscious. How can someone even get drunk on milk?”.

“Beats me. At least he paid before hand” The beautiful waitress chimes in cheerfully, tucking the roll of cash inside her cleavage.

“I guess I’ll carry him up to the spare room like last time” The bartender tiredly says.

*Sigh* “Sleep well kid” She says, wrapping a blanket around the eleven-year-old’s sbody.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading.  
> *Only one ball was harmed in the making of this chapter.


	3. "It's a leek"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where they go around town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold on to your hats, folks.  
> this one's gonna be cheesy.

> "It hurts to let go but sometimes it hurts more to hold on"
> 
> -Anonymous

* * *

**[SUBARU’S SIDE OF THE STORY]**

It was a quiet day in Roswaal manor. No sudden attacks from a witch cult, no random curse outbreak and most importantly, Emilia-tan hasn’t died yet.

Speaking of his beloved Emilia-tan, things have been rather awkward between the two of them. He hasn’t been able to look her in the eyes ever since he had that dream a few months ago.

Because of the aforementioned dream, rarely does a night go by with him not waking up, covered in sweat, screaming at the top of his lungs. Luckily, the walls were soundproof so no one came in to check up on him.

The lack of sleep made doing the housework unnecessarily difficult, it made his training with Julius extremely difficult. Heck! Even putting on pants was somehow difficult. At first, it wasn’t anything special. The dream would recreate Rem’s confession scene down to the last comma and when it came his turn to speak, he would just reject her like the first time.

Even though he has done it so many times he lost count, it still saddened him to see her smile after he tells her he loved Emilia. But now, that was the last of his worries.

As each day pass, his dreams becomes less of a dream and more of a nightmare. Last night, he dreamt about Rem turning full demon, swinging her morning star around like a maniac while youkai versions of her bloody, severed head floated around her. They all screamed the same thing in the same bloodcurdling voice after he told her he loved Emilia:

“WHY”

He tried to lie and say he loved Rem instead but his conscience never allowed him. It didn’t matter what he wanted to say, however. When he took too long, his mouth would automatically give the same answer like clockwork.

The horrifying aspects of the dreams aside. There was another thing that haunted his mind and it scared him witless: The question that dream Rem asks him every night.

“Why?”.

It was only a one-word question but it asked so many things. “Why is it her?”; “Why do you love her?”; “Why not me?”.

Up until this point, he had never questioned his love for the half-elf. It came naturally to him like breathing or walking. He could simply explain it away as being love at first sight but it wouldn’t be fair to the oni maid. Not after everything that she has said to him, did for him, died for him.

And that brings us to the disastrous morning exercise he did with Emilia-tan earlier. It was one of very few daily things they could do together that gave them the chance to grow closer, when Emilia-tan wasn’t busy studying to become the 42nd king. But he just had to go and screw it up.

Everytime he looked at her, he’d be reminded of the dream so he had to look at the ground the entire time they exercised. And whenever she tried to start a conversation, he would end it immediately or half-ass an answer.

Then to make it all worst, he made up a flimsy excuse to run away from her, saying something about preparing breakfast and being hungry.

Now he was absentmindedly dragging his feet in the hallway to get to the kitchen area but the only thing on his mind was Emilia-tan’s bewildered and dejected expression.

“Barusu, why are you lazing about in front of the door? It is all thanks to master Roswaal’s generosity that you get to stay here. If you do not plan on repaying his kindness, I will gladly get rid of you” Ram’s monotone voice woke him back to reality.

“Ah, Ram! Easy, easy. I’m just a little tired from all the exercising” Subaru says, starting to demonstrate for Ram. He tries to hide his sadness by doing goofy, exaggerated gestures but he knew his act couldn’t even fool a baby let alone the perceptive oni twin.

She merely glances at him with skepticism before turning back to peeling the potatoes.

‘What should I do, Emilia-tan?!?’. He holds back a long sigh and instead taps his foot on the ground furiously.

***TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP**TAP* *TAP**TAP**TAP***

***SQUISSHHH***

‘Crap. Ram’s angry!’

“Barusu. If you are done, I need you to go buy something”. Her usual monotone voice turned ice cold. She menacingly held a squished, freshly-peeled potato in her left hand while her right reaches into a basket.

Then She launches a long, green thing at the wall inches away from his head, creating a big crack.

‘It…I’s… IT’S A LEEK???’. His body wanted to curl inwards on itself at the sight.

“Go to the market and buy more, won’t you? ”. He could see the basket that she just reached in was brimming with leeks but he didn’t dare say anything.

“Y-YES MA’AM!!”. He saluted her,bolted out the door and nearly got smacked in the face by the leek.

* * *

|In the market area|

*Huff**Huff*

‘ _Phew_. I made it’. Subaru was hunched and out of breath in a corner. He frantically looked around at the bustling street to locate a vegetable stand while still thinking of his situation with Emilia-tan.

For the first time ever, he didn’t want to see the girl he had sworn his heart to. All because of one dream.

That’s when he saw a familiar figure from afar, a figure that often made him fall flat on his ass with a bokken’s surprisingly sharp tip against his throat.

Wisps of lilac hair fluttered gently in the air, tickling the lily-white cheeks of the owner. Some were tucked away by the knight clad in pure white with effortless elegance while he engaged in a friendly conversation with a boy around eleven.

They seemed to be having a lively conversation, or at least it seemed so for the younger of the two. Carelessly flailing his arms about, not worrying if he hits the townsfolk walking by.

Julius, on the other hand, stayed as composed as ever. Only laughing with amusement at the boy’s antics and patting his head, causing him to instantly become passive.

Subaru was a fair distance away but he could still see steam coming out of the boy’s ears and what he assumed to be a…‘Blush?’.

In truth, it was hard to call it anything but a blush. If someone came along and replaced the boy’s head with a tomato, Subaru wouldn’t notice a thing. He then clumsily shoves something into the knight’s hands before dashing in the opposite the direction.

‘Must be a confession or something. I guess being a knight makes you popular with boys and girls alike, huh’.

Julius looked confused for a second before shrugging it off nonchalantly.

‘Don’t tell me he gets confessed to so often he’s not even fazed by it anymore?! _Gaaah_! Good-looking guys have it easy! It’s so unfair!’. Subaru almost forgot why he came to the market if he hadn’t seen something green in Julius’s hand.

‘Ah! Right. Ram and leeks. I need to hurry’.

Subaru has gone on many trips to town to buy groceries and he knew the road well enough to realize that, to get to the vegetables stalls, he needed to go past Julius.

Though Julius considered them good friends ~~and maybe Subaru did, too~~ and Subaru was willing to admit that he _did_ find Julius’s company tolerable. Subaru didn’t want to talk to his “friend” at the moment. He was too busy thinking of ways to apologize to Emilia-tan to deal with his knight bullcrap.

With that said. Subaru decided the best and most obvious course of action would be to jump into a barrel and sneak past him.

“Foolproof” the contents of the barrel said.

His vision may have been obscured but he still knew how to navigate the streets.

“You must sense your enemies to truly see them. See not only with your eyes but your other senses as well”. He remembered the knight’s teachings and he was going to use them against him.

‘Left, left, right, left,…’. Subaru moved cautiously. He hasn’t bumped into anything or anyone yet so he’d say he was doing rather well!

“Almost there. I’m almost there!” the boy murmured. He recalls Julius telling him: “Celebrating too early is celebrating your opponent’s victory” so many times, he could recite it by heart.

‘Well guess what, Julius? “The student has become the master”’.

Sadly for Subaru, that was not the case. Too caught up in his own delusions, he failed to notice familiar black shoes standing in front of him. Apparently the boy took “sensing your opponent” to mean completely not using his eyes to look.

He is stopped in his tracks by what feels like a solid brick wall. A pair of hands lift up the barrel that he used to cover himself, leaving him looking like a weirdo squatting in an alley.

‘Ah, crap’. As fate would have it, the barrel lifter was none other than Julius Juukulius or sir “asshole knight” as Subaru loved to call him.

“I’m afraid to ask but…Why were you hiding in a barrel in an alley, Subaru?” the knight asked, confused but no longer surprised with his antics. 

“Because, unless it’s important to the plot, side characters always walk by barrels and haystacks” Subaru says matter-of-factly.

“…Wh…”. Before Julius could ask, he decided to cut himself off, having given up on understanding his squire’s nonsense a long time ago.

*Gurglleeee*

Subaru’s stomach growled loudly like a lion, alerting the two young men to its hunger.

‘Right. I haven’t had breakfast yet’. Subaru pats his stomach.

“Have you not eaten?”

“No. Not yet” ‘Ram kicked me out before I could eat’.

The knight takes an egg sandwich from his belt and gives to Subaru.

“Here”.

“But isn’t that your breakfast?” Subaru irks an eyebrow at the sandwich.

‘So that’s what that green thing in his hand was’ Subaru realizes.

“I’ve already eaten” Julius reassures him.

“Then why do you have an extra sandwich? Are you just giving me your leftovers?!” The boy points at it, confused.

“Gareth gave it to me. He said he was worried I hadn’t eaten yet”

‘Gareth? Was that brat the one talking to Julius earlier? Why was he blushing?’

“That’s pretty cute for a brat like him” Subaru takes the sandwich from Julius and prepares to bite but…

“…If he gave this to you, shouldn’t _you_ be eating it?”.

‘It carries the brat’s feelings you know!!!’

“Gareth said he had accidentally made too much for himself so he gave it to me but seeing as how I’m unable to eat, I figured it would be best for you to have it. It would be a shame to let it go to waste”

“Fair enough” Subaru shrugs, too hungry to care anymore.

‘Hmm…This is pretty good. That brat can cook.’

“It’s an egg sandwich this time?”.

“Thimsp thume?”.

“It’s rude to talk with your mouth full, Subaru” Julius points out.

“Yeah yeah, okaa-san. What did you mean by “this time”?” Subaru asks indifferently, going in for another bite.

“He gives me different types of sandwiches everyday” Julius moves out of the alley, back to the main street.

‘Does he make too much food _everyday_?’ Subaru follows after Julius.

“Hmm…This needs more mayo” Subaru hums, savoring the tastes. He takes out a bottle of mayonnaise to squirt some on the sandwich.

‘Wait… Extreme blushing, making “too much” food excuse. Don’t tell me…’

“Does he ever call you a “baka”?”.

“Yes, quite frequently. How did you know?”.

‘I can’t believe it…The brat’s a freaking tsundere!!!’.

“ _Pfft-_ ” Subaru chokes back a laugh, swallowing hastily. Quiet coughs come out of his mouth, either from laughter or disbelief.

“Subaru?” Julius glances back at Subaru with slight concern.

“Juli?”. A woman’s voice draws both of their attention. She looked around forty with a short stature and a dare devil grin.

“It’s so good to see you again! How have you been? You look so skinny? Have you been eating properly? Jeez, you can’t be a knight without nutrition!”. The woman hugs the knight’s waist, lifting him up in the air with an iron grip, squeezing the life out of him. Subaru swore he heard the sound of cracking bone.

Wheezing for air, Julius smiles weakly while patting the woman’s back. “Yua-san…I’m glad * _wheeze_ * to…see you * _wheeze_ * ,too. How have you been?”.

“Oh, dear! Look at me getting ahead of myself. Wahahahah”. The woman loosens her grip, dropping “Juli” to the ground. “You know how it is, don’t you? With no one in the house and Gareth spending all his time training, I’m just so lonely. I wish you would come visit me more often”.

“Yua-san, I always come to visit you once every week”.

“I know, I know, dearie. But this lonely old bat’s not getting any younger” She says, grabbing the knight hands. “You should come over for dinner tonight. I’m sure Gareth would love to see you”.

“That sounds lovely, Yua-san-”.

“But?”.

“But I need to tend to my duties”.

Sighing understandingly, she puts her hands on her hips. “Yes yes. Your duties as a knight. I haven’t gone senile yet, Juli. I wish you were my son instead. Such a good young man you ar-! Oh my! Who’s this boy you’ve brought with you?”.

“Huh? Me?” Subaru pointed at himself confusedly. He had only been silently listening to the conversation up until this point.

“Yes, dear”.

“Oh. Um…I’m accompanying this bas- Sir Julius,” Subaru felt like he was going to hurl, “around town, umm…”.

“I’m Aryua Suzuki but you can call me Yua-san”.

“Yua-san”.

“You look like an upstanding young man. What’s your name, dear?”.

“S-Subaru Natsuki”.

“It’s nice to meet you, Subaru. Say, would you like to come in and have some tea?”.

“T-thank you, Yua-san. But I don’t want to intrude”.

‘Subaru can speak politely too, it seems’ The knight remarks.

“Oh no, I insist”. Yua-san says.

“Ah..umm…”.

“I’m sorry, Yua-san but I’m afraid Subaru doesn’t have the time. He has urgent matters to attend to” Julius chimes in.

“AH, nonsense. What coul-!...Oh!…Oooh!!! I see”. She looks back and forth at the two with a playful smile.

‘…W-wait… H-hold on!!!!’

“It’s notmmffp”. Julius covers Subaru’s mouth before he could speak. The knight’s eyes urge him to keep quiet and despite _REALLY_ not wanting to, Subaru decides to trust him on this.

‘You better have a good explanation for this, you bastard’.

“My~ my~. I’m sorry for taking up your time. One last thing before you go, Juli. Have this. I made it especially for you”. Yua-san gives Julius a cutely wrapped lunchbox with a heart card on it.

“Yu-” Julius start.

“And don’t even try to reject it, Juli” She says, putting her index finger up, effectively stopping him.

“Ahh…Thank you, Yua-san. You really didn’t hav-”.

“Oh, stop it. I could say the same for you. You didn’t have to help me last time but you did, so we’re even.” Crossing her arms, she looked at the knight stubbornly. Seeing them together gave off an impression of a mother scolding her child somehow.

‘Guess they’re pretty close’ Subaru thought.

“You don’t have to thank me everytime. I should be the one thanking you for all the things that you’ve done for my family. Now get out of here already and make sure to drop by more often, you hear?”.

“I will, Yua-san” The knight waves.

“It was nice meeting you, Yua-san” Subaru calls back to the woman.

“Come back anytime, dearies”

* * *

**[A few moments later]**

“WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?!?!?!” Subaru yells at Julius, demanding an answer.

“Lower your voice, Subaru. You’re disturbi-”.

“NOT UNTIL YOU ANSWER ME, ASSHOLE!!!” Subaru was close to roaring out his words.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Julius starts to explain: “Do you remember Gareth?”.

“Yeah but what does that have anything to do with this?”.

“Yua-san is Gareth’s mother”.

‘I can definitely see that’.

Subaru keeps quiet, impatiently egging the knight to go on. “You’ve seen how stubborn and hot-headed Gareth can be, correct? Well, Yua-san is ten times that amount. She’s a lovely woman but once you agree to have tea with her, it’d be impossible to leave. I agreed to her dinner offer once and she only unwillingly let me go two days later”.

“ _Two days_? What did you even do in two days?”.

“We talked and drank tea. I also trained Gareth in that time”.

‘Thankfully, it happened on my day-offs’.

“Hmm…I don’t really believe you but since it’s Gareth’s mom…”. Subaru crosses his arms.

‘I still would have picked tea over her thinking that we’re dati-’. The boy can’t bear to finish the thought, horrified by the idea.

Julius glances back at Subaru, seeing that the boy was glaring daggers at him still. He decided to ask: “What’s the matter, Subaru?”.

“You’re really not bothered by what she said?!!”.

“What did she say?” The knight only tilts his head in confusion.

“When she gave us that look?”..

“What look?” He looked genuinely befuddled by what Subaru said.

‘ _Urggh!_ How can he be so _dense_!! Now I feel bad for anyone who had the misfortune of liking this guy!’.

“Ahh!!! It’s Juju-sama. We finally found Juju-sama!!” A pair of a boy and a girl who look like twins come running up to the knight. They appear to be around eight years old.

“Juju-sama!! We missed you so much!!! Won’t you come play with us today?” the boy says, tugging on the knight’s left arm.

“Mn Mn!. Come play with us, oni-chann~” the girl says, tugging on the knight’s right arm.

“I’m sorry, Himari, Sora but I can’t right now”.

“Oni-chan always says that!”.

“Mn Mn. You never play with us anymore, Juju-sama”.

“I will. Next time”.

“You promise? Pinky promise?” they say, sticking out their pinkies.

“Yes, I promise”. Julius warps his finger around the twin’s. It was a cute sight to see.

“Hmm? Who is this mean-looking person, Juju-sama?” the boy, Sora, asks.

‘M-mean-looking?!’.

“And why were you two walking so close, oni-chan?”.

‘Close? We were at least 5 feet apart!! I made sure of that’.

A look of shock crosses both of their faces, they turn back to Julius in a flash and yanks his arms.

“Oni-chan, don’t tell me you forgot your promise already?”.

“You promised you would be our bride, Juju-sama. Did you forget?”.

‘ _Pffft_ hahahaha. Juju-sama the knightly bride’ Subaru pictured Julius in a wedding dress, holding his stomach from laughing too hard.

“Please don’t marry that mean-looking person. We’ll make you happy for sure, oni-chan”.

‘M-ma-MARRY?!?!!? WHAT THE HECK ARE KIDS THINKING NOWADAYS ??? WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK THAT WE’RE DATING??’.

“It’s not like that” Subaru screamed while Julius calmly replied. They look at each other and he can feel his own face become a full on scowl contrasting the knight’s mildly unsettled expression.

“It better not be! We even made a lunchbox for you,” The two stop to glare at Subaru before continuing, ”With a side of desert!”.

‘Oi oi. Don’t treat me like your love rival’ Subaru thought.

“Ah…Thank you but you didn’t have to”.

“But we wanted to! We made it with all our hearts so please take it”.

“Ahh well…”. Julius looks at the lunchbox Yua-san made for him and at the twin’s puppy dog eyes.

“I suppose another one wouldn’t hur-”.

“Hurray hurray!! We love you, oni-chan/Juju-sama”. Julius smiles warmly, patting the twins heads as they hug him.

‘Jeez, This guy’s a total pushover with kids. Can’t he be one-tenth this nice when he’s training me instead of beating me into the ground?’.

“Himari? Sora? So this is where you ran off to! Stop making me needlessly worried”. A woman who is presumably the twins’ mother runs over, pinching their ears red.

“ _Moooommm_ ” The two whine at the woman’s nagging.

“Oh no, no, no. Don’t you “Okaa-san” me. You two are so troublesome, you even bothered Sir Julius! What am I going to do with you?”.

“We’re sowwy, mom”.

“Oh, stop it. We’re going home this instant, you two. I’m so sorry for bothering you, Sir Julius” The woman bows apologetically.

“It was no trouble, Hana-san. Sora and Himari were womderful”.

“You spoil these kids too much, Sir Julius. I can’t thank you enough. Now as for you two, you’re gonna be in for a world of pain. Do you know how worried I was? You decide to run off like that again and I’ll…” Hana-san lectures them non-stop.

The knight and the boy watched silently as the woman drag the twins away by their ears. Only when the woman was far away enough, did Subaru speak.

“… _Juju-samaa_ ~, huh?”. Subaru puts an arm on Julius’s shoulder, teasingly stressing the words.

“Please shut up, Subaru”. Julius covers his face with his hands and rubs his temple.

It was faint but the boy could see the knight’s ears turning light pink at the name.

‘Am I seeing this right? Is the asshole actually _blushing_?’. The thought made Subaru curious, he leaned in to get a better look at the knight’s face.

Julius glances at Subaru through the small crack of his hand, moving away from the boy.

‘I can’t believe it! Sir “Greatest knight of all time” is actually blushing!...because of a childish nickname no less. I’m gonna hold this over his head forever!’ Subaru thought.

The knight clears his throat and runs a hand through his hair to compose himself, hoping the blush would be gone by now.

‘Who knew teasing him could be so fun?’

“I’m surprised those kids can make you all mushy like that”. Subaru chuckled, folding his arms behind his head.

“Please don’t ever speak about this again”

“And miss the chance to make fun of you? No thanks, Juju-sama~”

Holding back a groan, Julius straightens himself into proper posture again.

“Sir Julius?” An old man in his sixties calls, lunchbox in hand.

‘Is this gonna be _another_ lunchbox?’ Subaru was honestly amazed at this point.

* * *

**[A few hours later]**

‘Jeez. People in town sure love this guy. In the span of a few hours, he has already received a total of 4 lunchboxes and 3 desserts!’. Subaru was having trouble balancing the boxes in his hands.

“Do you just go around town everyday to collect lunchboxes?”

“I am not collecting lunchboxes, Subaru. I’m patrolling the town”

‘Reinhard did mention something about patrolling’ Subaru remembers vaguely.

“Then do people wait until you patrol to ambush you with their lunchboxes everyday?”

“It doesn’t happen everyday. We take turns patrolling”. Julius managed to look like a perfect gentleman while carrying the boxes gracefully.

“If you get this much, I can only imagine what Reinhard gets”

“You should see him on valentine’s day. The chocolate comes in mountains not boxes”.

“Heh…heh… No kidding. Reinhard’s an ikemen and a knight to boot. He’s the perfect combination to be popular with girls”.

‘Ikemen?’ Julius thought.

‘I wonder if Emilia-tan will give me chocolate on valentine’s day’.

Suddenly, realization struck him. He hasn’t bought any leeks and it’s already lunch time.

*Gurgle*

And he was hungry, again.

“Do you have any business to take care of, Subaru?”

“Well…”

He does but right now he didn’t want to go back to the manor and he hasn’t figured out what to say to Emilia-tan yet.

“Nah, I’ve got nothing. Why?”.

“If not, would you mind helping me?” Julius says, looking at his many lunchboxes.

“Hm…”

*Gurgle*

“Sure, might as well”. All the walking made him too hungry to care that he was going to eat with Sir “asshole knight”.

They went to sit under a fountain. He took one box with Yua-san’s signature on it and Julius took the remaining three.

‘I only agreed because I was so hungry but I don’t know if I can eat Yua-san’s cooking when it was meant for this asshole. It wouldn’t be right to her efforts’. He looks at the lunchbox with doubt.

As if reading his mind, Julius calmly says: “I know what you’re thinking, Subaru. But rest assured, I am deeply grateful for what they have done. I would love to try all their food but sadly that’s impossible for me to handle”. He unwraps the first box, revealing an array of food items including: octopus-shaped hot dogs, mini tomatoes, broccoli,…

“Is it not better to let you have one than to let it go to waste?”.

“…I guess”. Subaru shrugs, taking a rice ball out of his own box. He squirts the mayonnaise bottle over every bite.

They talk about random things that come to mind while merrily eating their food. Subaru glances over at Julius’s octopus hot dog and waits till the knight is raising it halfway to his mouth, before snatching it with his chopsticks.

Unfortunately, Julius didn’t appreciate Subaru’s bad manners, deciding to stab the thief’s hand with his fork.

“Owwwcchhhh” .

“Dining etiquette is important, Subaru. Not that I expected you to know”.

The knight tucked a few loose strands of hair behind his ear before eating the octopus right off of Subaru’s chopstick.

“ARGHHHH!!!! WHAT THE HECK’S WRONG WITH YOU?!!?!?” Subaru howls.

‘N-N-NOOOOO!!!!. The first person I feed is supposed to be Emilia-tan, not this asshole!!!’. Subaru wept quietly over his lost “first time” and Julius peacefully ate his food, ignoring Subaru’s whining and bleeding hand.

‘What kind of snobbish knight eats a lunchbox with a knife and fork, anyways?!?’ Subaru shoves the entire rice ball into his mouth and swallows it so fast, he practically drank it.

Half way through his meal, Subaru starts to wonder something.

‘How the hell are we gonna finish the two other boxes? Not to mention the desserts’. Turning to ask Julius but quickly stopping himself when he saw that the knight had already finished one box and was almost done with his second one.

“What’s the matter, Subaru?” Julius asks, showing no sign of being close to satisfied.

“Eh…uh…It’s…never mind”.

‘This guy’s a freaking monster!!!’.

Eating their lunchboxes spotless and finishing dessert left Subaru so full, he thought the food would explode out of his stomach.

“Ahhh. Yua-san’s cooking is amazi-” ‘Huh?’.

“Subaru, hold still”. Before the boy knew what was going on, Julius’s hand was already hovering over Subaru’s left cheek. He flicked something off, leaving a stinging pain.

“OUCHHH!!! What the hell was that for?!?”. Subaru pointed an accusatory finger while cradling his swollen face.

“There was a piece of rice stuck on your face,” Julius explains, standing up to dust his pants, “You wouldn’t want Emilia-sama to see that now, would you?”. The knight throws a smirk over his shoulder, running a hand through his hair.

‘ _God!_ I just wanna punch that sh*t eating grin off of his cocky face!’

“Mind your own damn business, _Juju-samaaa_ ” he stretched the word out for as long as his lungs allowed him. Subaru then proceeds to scrunch up his face and stick out his tongue childishly.

‘Why does he have to mention Emilia-tan?’ Subaru lets out a wistful sigh, trying to block out the sadness.

“Sir Julius, Sir Julius”. A little girl comes running up to the knight, adorably tugging on his pants. “Pwease help me, Sir Julius. Pwetty pwease”. She had speckles of tears in the corner of her eyes.

‘Sh-She’s so… _cutttee_ ’ Subaru thought.

“What seems to be the matter, Akari-chan?” The knight softly says, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Mister Pleiades wan up that twee”. She pointed to a nearby tree, all the way up to the branches.

‘Mister Pleiades? What a weird name for a cat’ Subaru thought.

“I’ll get him back to you, Akari-chan” He promises.

“R-Really? Thank you, Sir Julius!” Julius smiles kindly at the girl, gently patting her head.

‘So not all of his expressions are punchable, huh’. Subaru glances at the knight.

“Come along, Subaru. I shall require your assistance”

“What? Why do I have to help you?”

“Pwease, Oni-chan~ ~”

“ _Hnngg_!!! Can’t say…no…too… _cuteee_!!!” Subaru clutches his chest in surrender.

“I’ll take that as a yes, then” Julius says.

They stand in front of a massive tree. The lowest branch was easily quadruple Subau's height which, coincidentally, was also the branch “Mister Pleiades” got stuck on.

“What’s the plan for getting the cat down…” Subaru pauses.

“We coul-”

“… _Juju-sama?_ ”. Julius lets out one of many long sighs that he barely managed to hold in today.

‘If the saying “Sighing shortens your life span by 10 years” is true then I’m as good as dead’ He exhaustedly thought.

Subaru laughs at Julius’s apparent dislike for the name, watching the knight furrow his eyebrows with a rare annoyance that is only ever brought out when Subaru talks to him.

“We could try placing you on my shoulders, that should help you reach the branch easily” Julius explains, his voice unsuccessfully masking his displeasure.

“…You want me to sit on your shoulders? Am I hearing this right?”.

“To put it bluntly, yes”.

“NO WAY! ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! I REFUSE” Subaru retorts.

“Can you offer another method, Subaru?”.

“ _Urgh_ …”. Subaru looks over at the cute little girl whose eyes were now puffy from crying, her nose sniffled from time to time.

‘…I can’t’.

“I can” Subaru declares with a flimsy veil of confidence and bravado, pointing at the sky dramatically. Julius merely hums, not even attempting to hide his disbelief.

‘…As expected of Subaru’.

He knew Subaru was going to do something foolish to impress Akari-chan. If it were any other person, he would have simply scoffed at their histrionic act but when it comes to Subaru, Julius can tell that he means well.

Despite having already seen through the boy’s obvious bluff, he still lets him carry on with a watchful eye, curious to see what will happen.

“Really, Oni-chan?”.

“Mn”. Subaru give Akari-chan a peace sign, smiling brightly while mentally sweating bullets.

Subaru marches to the tree, stomps his foot, stretches out his arms and…hugs it.

“…”.

“…”.

‘ _Crap!!!_. I don’t know how to climb a tree’. He could hear Julius say something to Akari-chan but he was too busy focusing on the tree to pay attention. He only watched a couple of videos about climbing trees before and those were all from animes. Not exactly your ideal frame of reference, realism-wise.

He presses one foot against the tree and it slips. He presses another foot against the tree and it slips. He presses _another_ foot…

* * *

**[20 minutes later]**

‘Almost, almost…There!’. Subaru was finally on the scarily small branch that “Mister Pleiades” was on.

‘Don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look down,’ he chanted in his head over and over, ’Akari- chan is really cut-’.

“Oni-chan”. He hears the little girl call out to him. Subaru looks down to see Akira-chan being held up with one arm by Julius, a taiyaki in her hand. Julius tried to quickly cover her mouth so she doesn’t distract Subaru but he was too late.

‘Did they go get ice-cream while I was climbing this stupid tree?! Julius, you asshole’.

Noticing Subaru was glaring daggers at him, the knight signals with his eyes to tell the boy to look at the cat but Subaru took it as Julius rolling his eyes.

‘I’ll get Mister Pleiades down, just you wait!’.

“Here kitty kitty. Here kitty kitty”. Something about the cat looked familiar but he couldn’t put his finger on it. “Mister Pleiades” only scratches at his out-stretched hand, resuming to lick its paw.

“Ouch! Why does everyone keep stabbing this hand? Oh, that’s it. You’re coming with me, Mister Pleiades. Do you know how worried you made Akari-chan?” He argues with the cat, trying to yank it off the branch, which in turn made the cat dig its claws into the branch further.

Subaru tried to be smart with this. He has seen countless scenes where the main character pulled too hard and when the cat let go, they were sent flying down to the ground. Conveniently caught by their love interest as a result.

And Emilia-tan wasn’t there to catch him which meant the one who will is: ‘Ughh…Don’t think about it’. He just has to pull with his arms not his body, shouldn’t be too difficult.

It was difficult.

But he managed to get the cat off successfully, nonetheless. He stood up on the branch and climbed back down. It would have been fine but he just had to forget one thing.

The arm he used to hang on the branch was the same one Julius and the cat stabbed. Predictably, he lost his grip.

“ _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!_ ” and he fell.

He was doing so well, too. He finally found a route that would keep everyone happy, _alive._

Now he would die here and go back to his most recent save point. He could only hope that it was after the fight with Betelgeuse because only god knows how much he doesn’t want to share his sight with Julius again.

‘Julius…’.

A thought came to his mind, a thought he was sure he would never say out loud.

‘…you better catch me’.

And he did.

Julius caught Subaru in his arms.

“Are you alright, Subaru?” The knight sounded concerned, which would have been normal if he was helping someone else. But it wasn’t, because he was talking to Subaru. He shouldn’t sound so…worried.

A look of shock was frozen on Subaru’s face, followed by relief and, of course, reflexive thrashing.

“AAAHHHHhhh. Let. Me.GOO!!!”. Subaru rolled out of Julius’s arms and body slammed the ground, face first.

“Urghhh!!!” The boy groans, clutching his face.

The knight sighs once again, giving a gentle shake to his head.

‘Why did I have to land in his arms? Mister Pleiades better be-’

Subaru rolls over to look up at the knight and he asks: “What happened to “Mister Pl-!”.

Right on cue, the cat lands in Julius’s arms.

The knight looks the cat over and looks at Subaru.

‘This cat looks like Subaru’.

“ _What?_ ” Subaru’s voice was angry and hoarse from screaming.

“It’s nothing”.

“Mister-Pleiades!!!” Akari-chan calls happily, running over to hug the cat.

Julius tries to hand it over to Akari-chan but the cat sticks to the knight’s arm like glue, cuddling his arm affectionately. It completely forgot who its owner was, rubbing its head against Julius’s chest.

The image makes Subaru want to hurl but he doesn’t know why.

‘Saving that cat was not worth it’.

The knight shoos the cat over, wounding its pride in the process.

“Thank you, Sir Julius, Oni-chan!” Akari-chan giggles, causing Subaru to cuteness-overload.

‘Saving that cat was worth it’.

“It was my pleasure, Akari-chan” Julius says.

“It was no problem, Akari-chann!!!” He says, giving the girl a thumbs up.

The two watch as she happily skips away.

“We did good, Subaru” Julius compliments.

“AHahaha and you doubted me too! Take that, asshole!”. Subaru jumps up and down, pointing triumphantly at the knight.

“That I did and I will humbly apologize. Thanks to you, we were able to return “Mister Pleiades””.

“That’s righ- Hold on. What do you mean “we”?! You didn’t do anything!!!”.

“Is that so? She seems to think otherwise” Julius says, handing Subaru a card with messy handwriting and crossed out words.

It reads:

> _"Thank you for helping me ~~twoday~~ today _
> 
> _I was really worried because Mister Pleiades gets ~~realy~~ really scared really easily_
> 
> _and he hates being alone but I was silly ~~two~~ to worry _
> 
> _you did soooo much I can’t thank you enough_
> 
> _Love, Akari-chan.”_

'What does this say?' Subaru squints at the letter confusedly. He only recognized some of the words like:"Thank you","Hates","Love".

'Strange, He's not reacting like I thought he would. Could it be that he doesn't know what it says?'.

" "Thank you for helping me today. I was really worried because Mister Pleiades gets really scared really easily and he hates being alone, but I was silly to worry. You did so much, I can't thank you enough. Love, Akari-chan" " Julius translate for Subaru.

“A-Akari-channn How could you?!?!”. Subaru held the letter with shaky hands, tears on the brink of flowing out.

“Flip the letter over, Subaru”.

“Huh? Flip it?” He did as told quickly. Lo and behold, his name was on the back in neat, cursive writing.

“ _A-Akari-channnn!!!_ Ah hah! Take that!” The boy waved the letter around like he had just won the lottery when, in fact, he got something much more valuable.

He shoves the letter in Julius’s face, victorious. If he expected the knight’s face to be one of shame and defeat, he expected completely wrong. Julius’s face was calmer than ever, he looked happy almost.

‘What the heck?’.

“Is that so?” He replies, walking off.

“Hey!! What do you mean “is that so”?” Subaru runs after the knight.

* * *

|On a bridge|

Subaru manages to catch up to Julius. He stands next to him on a bridge, letting the cool air dance on his face.

It was already evening, the warm orange and red hues of the sun mixed together with a purple sky made it rather evident. The sky was free of clouds for once. The smell of flowers travel through the air, leaving a fresh scent to everything they pass. It was a truly beautiful scene.

“This feels really” His heart felt calm standing on this bridge.

“Indeed” The knight agrees.

The light colors bounced off of Julius’s lily-white skin, making him glow almost. His brilliant golden eyes were made all the more breathtaking by the illumination. Wisps of lilac hair dance in the breeze freely, almost as beautifully as the way the knight moved his sword.

‘Ikemen’ was the only thought that came to his mind when looked over at Julius.

‘…Wait…WAIT A MINUTE!!! WE’VE BEEN DOING ROMANTIC THINGS THE WHOLE DAY! First he flicked rice off my face then he catches me in his arms and now THIS?!? This is like watching the sunset together!!!’.

“Suba-”.

“OH NO, I am NOT going down the JuliuSuba knight route!!! I refuse to set off anymore flags!!!” Subaru points at Julius defensively and offendedly.

Julius stayed silent and confused. He looks back at the sunset, pretending that didn’t just happen.

“Yeah! My heart belongs to Emilia-tan. There’s no way I’m doing this” Subaru mumbles.

“I need to get back to her immediately” The knight pretend to not hear the boy.

‘This looks like it came straight out of a romance film. Maybe I can bring Emilia-tan here nex- Oh. Oh no’. Subaru wants to throw himself over the stone brigde. ‘How could I forget Emilia-tan? I haven’t figured out what to say to her yet’.

Julius sees Subaru cover his face with his hands, seemingly upset.

“What’s the matter, Subaru?”.

‘Oh right. Him’.

“It’s…uh…It’s complicated. You wouldn’t understand”.

“Try me” Julius challenges.

‘I really doubt he has ever run into a problem with girls before. Judging by his looks, girls probably shower him with affection’.

Subaru doesn’t know what it was. Was it the atmosphere? the cluelessness he was feeling ? or maybe something else. He doesn’t know but he still tells the knight anyways.

‘Here goes then’.

“I…I messed up”. Julius stayed silent, egging the boy to go on.

“I don’t know. Things got kind of awkward between me and Emilia-tan this morning. Whenever she’d try to talk to me, I would turn her down or ignore her completely and when she approached me to ask what was wrong. I ran,” Subaru grips his head, feeling a headache coming on, “I ran. I ran and I ran _like a coward_. I didn’t know how to face her or my feelings for her so I just ran. And now I’m here”.

Subaru was scared. Scared that his feelings were changing because of a mere dream, scared that his love was weak and meaningless but most of all, he was scared to let go. To him, Emilia gave him purpose, she _was_ his purpose. After he got transported to another world and freed from his old life, he met her.

He felt that he gained a new sense purpose and salvation when he’s with her. He should be in love with her, he _is_ in love with her…So why did he think the dream made sense?

“I…I don’t know if I…love her anymore, Julius”. The words left his mouth so easily, it felt like betrayal. He knows he shouldn’t be feeling this way but he was. _He was relieved._

Like a thousand bricks were lifted off his heart.

He turns to the knight, awaiting his reaction but there was none.

Julius breaths in gently and breaths out, enjoying the view as if Subaru didn’t just bare his soul to him a few seconds ago.

He doesn’t know why he’s surprised, of course he wouldn’t get it. The boy turns to walk away in a huff.

“Subaru” Julius calmly calls.

“ _What?_ ”. In spite of wanting to end the conversation, Subaru stayed.

“Why do you say that?”.

“Huh?! Didn’t I just tell-”.

“No, you didn’t” Julius presses.

“Let me ask again: Why do you say that?” Julius turns to look at Subaru dead in the eyes.

“I am asking this seriously, Subaru. Are you an idiot?”.

“HAh?!?! WHAT DID YOU-” Subaru tries to punch Julius’s face but the other catches his fist.

“I think you’re an idiot, Subaru”.

“YOU!!! THAT’S IT!!!” He throws another punch but Julius catches that one too.

“Do you not know how much I admire the efforts you’ve put in for Emilia-sama’s sake, Subaru? You joined the battle against the White whale, the monster that took the lives of thousands and you defeated Betelguese, the Sin Archbishop of the Witch cult and you came out victorious!” Julius was no longer composed, shouting at Subaru’s face.

“Do you truly think _any_ person could achieve those feats? _No_. It was you who achieved them because you love Emilia-sama and you have proven that time after time.” The knights grabs a fistful of Subaru’s collar.

“And yet you stand before me, saying that you no longer hold feelings for her. Have you gone blind? Even now, the mere thought of not loving Emilia-sama anymore can make you become so sorrowful”. There was a look in the knight’s eye, a look of anger.

“Frankly, you’re insulting your own efforts, Subaru. Where did the foolish boy who stood in front of a council of knights and proclaimed himself a knight? Where did your determination go? Why do you doubt? Because you were awkward around her once?” Julius lets go of Subaru’s collar, leaving the boy frozen.

“If you’re not an idiot, what are you?”.

Subaru was speechless for once, his mouth hanging open.

In all his life, the knight rarely showed such a temperament, always restraining himself with practiced control and using logical words. But like always, Subaru managed to bring out the worst sides of him.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but you’re right! I am an idiot”.

“You only realize this now?”.

“Hey don’t push it. I’m not gonna let you call me an idiot, Juju-sama~”.

Julius held back a groan, choosing to laugh instead.

‘At least he’s in high spirits again’.

“If you’re a man, Subaru. You will find her and apologize this instant”.

“Yeah. I’ve got it” Subaru takes off running but stops himself to say: “And Julius? I guess you’re not a complete asshole like I thought”.

‘That’s as close to a thank you as I’ll ever get’ Julius sighs.

‘I’m definitely gonna make up with Emilia-tan, just you wait Emilia’.

* * *

**[JULIUS’S SIDE OF THE STORY]**

‘Subaru has left’ Julius thinks to himself.

‘He’s hopeless’.

*Gurgle*

A most graceless sound escapes Julius’s stomach.

‘I suppose this is what I get for giving Subaru my only breakfast and one fourth of my lunch’.

“Juliuusss!!!” He hears Gareth’s voice call out to him.

“How many times have I reminded you to add an honorific to my name, Gareth?”.

“Too many since I’ll never do it” Julius frowns.

“Anyways, why were you talking to that loser? He’s a total prick”!.

“Gareth, remember to respect your elders”.

“Yes yes” The eleven year old answers lazily. “I saw you eat lunch with him too. What was that about? Why did you eat lunch with him? You should have let him starve” Gareth lets jealously ridden words flow out his mouth, angrily crossing his arms with a huff.

‘Why? It’s simple. I couldn’t leave him alone since he looked so miserable’ Julius doesn’t say that.

“It’s nice to have company during your meals”.

“ _Hehhh??_ If that’s the case, come over and have dinner with us again!”.

“Ah...Hm…”.

“Oh and how was the sandwich I made you? Not that I care” Gareth asks with a blush on his face.

“It was good… but it needed more mayo”.

“What the heck’s a “mayo”?”.

* * *

**[45 minutes ago]**

Julius watches as Subaru attempts to climb the tree when Akari-chan pulls him down.

“Sir Julius, can we go get a taiyaki?”.

“Well…”

‘If I don’t watch over him, he might hurt himself’ Julius looks over at Subaru hugging the tree.

“Please, _please_ ~” She uses her puppy dog eyes on him.

He sighs, defeated.

“Alright but we will return immediately, understood, Akari-chan?”.

“Yes!” She jumps up and down excitedly.

He takes the little girl into town to buy some taiyaki but she gets distracted by all the food stores, running off.

* * *

**[10 minutes later]**

The knight finally found the little girl at a coffee shop table, scribbling something on the paper.

“Akari-chan, you shouldn’t run off like that” He scolds her.

“Wahh. Sir Julius found me!” She comes running to his side and all the anger he was putting up melted.

“Here you go, Sir Julius. It’s my present to you” She shyly gives him a piece of paper, a letter of sorts.

He reads the letter and asks: “Did you mean to give this to Subaru?”.

“Hmm? That mean looking person? No way! Sir Julius is the one who agreed to help me and bought me a taiyaki. Sir Julius is so much cooler, too” He sighs at her childish reasoning.

‘She’s still a child, after all’ He picks her up with one arm, patting her head softly.

"Akari-chan, don't let appearances deceive you".

He knows Subaru doesn’t look like it but he could be exceptionally caring at times, he knows that if they were to return to the tree right now, Subaru would still be there, stubbornly giving it his all.

"What do you mean, Sir Julius?".

"One day, when you look back on these memories, you'll understand. Perhaps you may even smile at your own silliness".

"Hmm...I don't get all this adult talk, Sir Julius. You're really hard to understand" She pouts.

"That's fine, Akari-chan. That's fine" He smiles kindly, making the little girl's heart jump.

“Sir Julius, I need to um… _go_ before we go” She says, pointing at the bathrooms.

“Make it quick, Akari-chan”.

‘I can’t accept this letter’ He waits until Akari-chan is out of sight then proceeds to write something on the back. He tucks it in his pocket neatly when he sees her return.

“Are you finished?”.

“Mmm” She excitedly answers.

“Then let’s go” He picks her up again and they head back to the tree.

* * *

**[RAM’S SIDE OF THE STORY]**

‘That Barusu! I’m gonna peel him like a potato once he gets back’ Ram says, squashing a potato in her hand.

Somewhere, Subaru feels a chill run up his spine.

‘I think I forgot to buy something…Oh well’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to imagine that Julius is the type to secretly do things for the people he cares about but never tells them, ever.  
> And the only way they'll know about it, is either, they figure it out or someone tells them.  
> Like how he beat Subaru up but it was to save him from being killed. Also, why not make him an overeater? . It's fun to imagine him eating tons and not gaining a single pound, probably because he trained it all out lol.  
> Plus, the image of him being friendly with everyone in town is adorable.  
> *Note: Akari-chan's letter was written in Lugnican.


	4. "Truth or Lie"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Subaru loves...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for being on hiatus for such a long time but I'm back now and I hope you can all forgive me for my absence.  
> I'll try to post updates more often but my mid-term exams are coming so I don't know how often they will be.  
> Thank you for sticking around that really means a lot to me, I hope you'll enjoy the chapter.  
> And for those who were asking in the comments: Yes, there will be a chapter featuring Natsumi but that's like in chapter 10 so you're gonna have to wait a while folks

> "Even if it breaks your heart, you must hear it, my love. For it is the truth"
> 
> -Annonymous

* * *

**[SUBARU’S SIDE OF THE STORY]**

It was an afternoon like any other in Roswaal manor. The sky was blue, the grass was green, the eighteen-year-old boy was bleeding from his fingers for the hundredth time.

“ _Ouch!_ ” Subaru drops the knife he was holding to cut the leek, wincing at the sharp pain as blood oozes from the cut.

“Subaru-kun, did you cut yourself again?” Rem walks over to Subaru, bandage already in hand. She rests his hand on hers and begins gently wrapping it.

“Rem, you don’t have to do that every time. I don’t wanna bother you”.

“Subaru-kun,” she stops to look up at him with a soft gaze, reminding him once more that, “I’m not doing this because I have to”.

Rem continues to wrap his finger, a silent content smile graced her lips.

‘…you’re doing this because you want to’ he recalls.

“I know” is the only thing he can say back.

She’s a wonderful girl, she really is. That’s why it pained him so much to reject her, and more so do it every night even if it was only a dream.

Although it has been months since the first time he had said dream, he still couldn’t rid himself of it.

“Why?” She always asks.

“I don’t know” He always answers.

‘Can’t I love Emilia because I just do? Isn’t love meant to be nonsensical?’ he sighs which catches Rem’s attention but she doesn’t say anything.

She finishes wrapping his finger and goes back to work, secretly keeping a watchful eye over him still.

‘…Then why don't I love Rem? After everything that we’ve been through, why don’t I love her? Maybe we’re similar in that sense, chasing blindly after someone who doesn’t return our feelings’. Except she has a _reason_ for falling in love while he doesn’t.

Lately, he has started to realize that he knows close to nothing about the elf maiden. He tried to make her favorite meal but he doesn’t know what it is, he tried to give her a present but he doesn’t know what she likes.

‘Heck! I don’t even know her favorite color’.

Was his love really that flimsy? Sure, when Julius reassured him that it wasn’t, he truly believed that. And when he went to go apologize to Emilia-tan, they were able to laugh off the awkwardness but “it” wasn’t there.

The butterflies he got whenever he saw her smile weren’t there like they always had been.

Like when he told Julius that he didn’t love her anymore, a nauseating feeling of relief followed his words, it betrayed him.

He hated himself for that. Why di-

“ _Ouch!_ ” He cut himself again.

‘That’s what I get for monologuing while cutting something, I guess’.

“Subaru-kun…”.

“Barusu, we’re out of bandages thanks to you. Go buy some more. _Now_ ” Rem whacked him repeatedly with a broom, spinning it around like she was performing some ancient kung-fu move.

“ _Ah! Ouch!_ What happened to not hurting the wounded? _Ouch!_ ”.

“Subaru-kun, I’ll go with you”.

“Hmph. Waste of bandages” Ram ignored the two.

“It’s okay, Rem. I should go”.

“But Subaru-kun…”.

To be honest, he did want her to accompany him since holding things with a wounded hand was pretty hard. But something about Ram’s scathing side glare advised him otherwise.

“Don’t worry, Rem, I’ll be fine but thanks anyways” He gave her a reassuring thumbs up.

“…If you say so, Subaru-kun”.

“Barusu” Ram’s usual monotone voice was terrifying when combined with a broom that was threatening to be shoved down his throat, out his ****.

“Ah! Okay! I’m going, I’m going” He practically threw himself out of the kitchen and into the hallway.

* * *

**|** In the town **|**

**[JULIUS’S SIDE OF THE STORY]**

“Come on, Julius! Train me!” Gareth hung on Julius’s arm, getting dragged along by the knight.

“Gareth, I’m patrolling. Mayhap later” Julius made no effort to remove the dead weight, knowing from experience that it’s pointless.

“Juuullliiuuuss!!” the boy whined quietly. Most likely due to the aforementioned scolding him about not disturbing others so many times.

“Gareth, why are you so persistent?”.

“Julius, you already know, so why are you asking?”.

The knight stopped to stare down at the boy.

“When those monsters killed papa and Ash, I couldn’t do anything for them. Mama had to use herself as bait so I could hide in the bushes like a coward. If you hadn’t come, she…she…” Gareth let out a sigh coated in exhaustion.

“I know”.

“That’s why I need to become stronger, stronger and stronger. To protect Mama”.

“There are many ways to be strong, Gareth”.

“But-!”.

“And if you wish to become a respectable knight, then you must wield your emotions how you would a sword”.

“…what?”.

“You need to control your temper”.

“Bull corn” the boy stuck out his tongue and skipped ahead carelessly.

“Language, Gareth. You don’t want Yua-san to hear now, do you?” Julius’s voice was lighthearted with a thinly veiled threat.

The boy stopped abruptly, spinning a perfect 180 degrees to face Julius.

“You wouldn’t…”.

The knight merely smiled, neither confirming not denying.

“Julius, don’t you da-” The boy ran at Julius but didn't watch his steps. He tripped over a “conveniently” placed pebble but thanks to his trained reflexes, he reached his arms out in time to not face plant on the ground.

“Are you alright, Gareth?”.

“Yeah, but my hand’s bleeding like bloody nora” he turned it over to show him.

“Here” Julius kneeled down, slipping a supportive hand under the boy’s and gently bandaged his hand.

“…ah…AaAHHHH!!!” he leapt onto his feet faster than Julius could blink.

“W-WH-WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING??!?!” he backed away cautiously, face engulfed in a blood-red blush.

“You’re hurt also keep your voice down”.

“N-NO way. You…you’re CRAZY!! Hahahaha….”.

They fell into an awkward silence with Gareth jumpy as a rabbit and Julius as confused as a baby deer.

The boy decided to run for the hills, leaving the befuddled knight behind.

‘…how odd’ Julius stood up and dusted himself before continuing his patrol.

‘There’s only one bandage left’ Julius noted.

“Ah fuck!” a familiar voice said.

‘Where have I heard that before?’ the knight decided to look for the source, though he already had an idea who it belonged to.

“Dammit! Why does it hurt so ba-Ah!” upon seeing Julius, Subaru fell off the edge of the water fountain he was sitting on and landed on the hard tile.

“Jeez, don’t scare me like that, asshole” He dusted his butt and returned to his previous spot on the water fountain.

“Good to see you ,too, Subaru” the knight took a seat next to him which prompted him to slide farther away.

‘…friendly as ever, I see’’.

“Why is your hand bleeding so much, Subaru?” He pointed at the bloody tissues.

“…Because…cut…leeks…myself” He mumbled.

“Hmm?”.

“…Because when I was cutting leeks, I accidentally cut myself, _ok?”_ he crossed his arms with a huff.

‘And you bled that much blood?’ Julius thought.

“Yes, I bled that much blood,” Subaru replied with annoyance, “and yes, I know what you were thinking. It’s written all over your face” he gave him the side eyes as he struggled to wrap the bandages.

“Do you need hel-”

“No, I don’t need help, _thaaaankksss_ ” he tucked the bandage under, tightening it but it fell loose right after.

“Tch”.

“Do you not know how to cook? It’s one of the basic essential skills” ‘Not to mention, you’re a butler’.

“That’s not why I cut myself. I can make basic stuff so don’t you dare look down on me, asshole. I was just lost in thought at the time”.

“Pfft-”.

“ _What was that?!!_ ”.

“I’m…aha I’m sorry,” Julius tried and gracefully failed, to contain his laugh, “It’s...Well, I never took you for a “lost in thought” kind of man”.

“Har har, very funny, Juju-sama” Subaru rolled his eyes, jokingly punching Julius’s arm.

‘Though I do like the sound of that’ the boy thought. 

"Heh…and may I ask what pressing matter was so important that it caused you to cut yourself?”.

‘What’s with knights and their unnecessarily long, formal way of speaking? Or is it an exclusive “asshole knight” thing?'.

“The royal knights, including myself, are people of nobility so we must carry ourselves with grace and dignity” Julius smirked at Subaru, saying, “Not all of us can act a fool whenever we desire” Julius reached for Subaru’s bandages.

“Oh no, don’t even start with that crap. You’re a snarky, assholey, son of a bitch that beats people black and blue when you “train” them and you’re always sliding in shitty comments like that" Subaru scrunched up his face and looked down his nose at Julius.

"Tell me what part of that is carried with “grace and dignity” huuhhh??!” Subaru got in Julius’s face, not noticing a thing.

“You asked me to teach you so I can’t do it half-heartedly. Being strict is key to training and Subaru,” Julius’s voice had the faintest hint of teasing as he said, “I only speak the truth”.

“Why you-!”.

“Done” Julius tightened the bandage on Subaru’s hand.

The boy looked down to see that the knight not only fixed but also wrapped it into a cute little ribbon.

“…” Subaru was about to rip the bandages off but Julius grabbed his hand.

“Quaint, isn’t it?” He held down the boy’s hand with ease, further pissing him off.

“Ugrhhh” Subaru knew he shouldn’t rip it off because:

  1. It’ll hurt.
  2. He doesn’t know how to wrap one-handedly



But it was really, _really_ tempting.

“No need to thank me, Subaru” the knight chuckled at Subaru’s impossibly wrinkly face. If it became any wrinklier, Julius isn't sure he could tell it apart from a raisin.

“Mama, mama, are those two on a date?” a little girl pointed at them.

“Now, now, dear. We should mind our own business, we mustn’t interrupt Sir Julius” the woman winked at the knight, leaving him confused.

Then Subaru noticed: Julius wrapped a “cute” ribbon on his finger, he’s pinning down Subaru’s hand but it probably looked like they were holding hands from the outside and him getting all up in Julius’s face didn’t help, either.

‘This does look like a date, huh… IT LOOKS LIKE A _DATE!!! GRoSs!!_ ’ He tried to yank his hand away but Julius’s seemingly loose grip was rock solid.

“Let _goooo_!!!!” Subaru pulled with all his might but it felt like he’d sooner grind his feet into the concrete tiles than be able to free his hand.

“Alright” Julius lifted his arm which sent Subaru tumbling back, landing hilariously on his ass.

“Ouch! You Bas-” He was ready to tear off the smirk on Julius’s face when the other suddenly bolted.

“Oi! Get back here!!!” He ran after him.

* * *

**|** In the forest **|**

“Heheheh… hahahahh! With this, he’ll be mine~~~” a hooded figure laughed to herself, in her hand held a shiny silver ball.

‘What could that be?’ Julius thought.

“Oi, asshole!*Huff* you can really run- _mnf_ ” Julius covered Subaru’s mouth but it was too late, his voice had already alerted the woman. The hooded woman threw the ball towards them.

The ball liquefied mid-air, wrapping itself around Subaru’s right and Julius’s left hand completely, then it hardened itself back into its former ball shape. It glued their hands to the nearest tree trunk with an impossible firmness.

“What the heck is this?!” Subaru tried and failed to yank their hands free from the tree.

“Most likely a metia”.

“That’s not what I meant!”.

“Ha…ha…hahahaha! Sir Julius <3, how nice and utterly foolish of you to alert me to your presence. I didn’t take you for the careless type”.

‘Wow, can this girl talk any more like a cliché villain?’.

“Seeing you in a position of helplessness _feels so mmm_ ~~…” She drooled a puddle at the sight before her.

‘What’s with this crazy girl. I think I’m gonna hurl if she does that again’ Subaru thought.

“Ughh” the boy grunted.

The hooded figure turned to Subaru, giving him a sickening grin. “Oh ho hoh! And who might you be?”.

“Fuck off”.

“Hehe, feisty! Quite a nasty glare, too”.

What she said surprised him, he had a naturally mean look so people often mistook his normal face for him glaring but just now he really did glare, the question is: “why?”.

“What is it that you want?” The knight evenly asked.

‘Jeez, this guy really is something. She’s practically drooling lakes at his feet and his face is still creepily calm’.

“Hmm? Nothing, nothing…,” She sang her words, “I love you, you know. So can you be less cold towards me, please <3 <3~~~”.

‘And the “everyone loves Julius” phenomena continues’ He rolled his eyes.

“Why don’t you ask him out then?” Julius raised an eyebrow at his question but said nothing.

“…Excuse me?” She asked.

“You heard me. Why not ask him out?”.

“Eeeek!! No way! I can’t” She gushed.

“Why not?” He deadpaned.

“Heh, Why should I tell you?” Her voice turned murderous at the drop of a dime..

“!” The two men are taken aback by her sudden change in tone.

“Ah! Julius-sama, please don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you” She smiled cheerfully.

‘This girl is giving me serious yandere vibes’ Subaru thought.

“Won’t you tell us how to get this device off then, miss?” Julius smiled back.

“Oh…um…But …”.

“But?” He patiently asked.

“If I let you go, you’ll just go back to patrolling that stupid town and those stupid people. They don’t appreciate you at all! I see how those lowly peasants look at you, you know. You’re _mine_!” She growled.

‘Yup, yandere’.

“Subaru” Julius smiled but the edges of his mouth were twitching.

“What? What do you want?”.

“I love you”.

“WHAT!!?!?!” Subaru and the girl yelled. The girl lunged at Subaru, reaching in her cloak for her katana.

The knight pushed Subaru behind his back.

Using his free hand to reach for his sword, he deflected her blows, and hit her head with the sword's hilt, effectively knocking her out.

‘Wh-What the heck just…? I-It happened so fast’ Subaru’s jaw dropped down to the floor.

“Are you alright, Subaru?” Julius pushed Subaru’s jaw up, closing his open mouth.

“Uh…Yeah…What should we do with her?” Subaru eyed her.

“First, we use these vines to tie her up. Second, we interrogate her”.

“Yeah, got it”.

* * *

[7 minutes later]

“What’s ….you …ribbons?”.

“Cute…you agree?”.

“…h…huh? Where am I?”.

“It’s nice to see that you’re awake, Ichika-san”.

“Wha-?! Where’s my hood?”.

“It’s on you” Subaru pointed at her. Her robes were used to tie her to tree like a rope of sorts.

“Arghh!! Hnng goddamit! This is so humiliating!!! Please don’t look at me, Julius-sama” She tried to cover herself with her knees.

“Seeing you once is already once too many, believe me” Subaru said.

“Subaru, you don’t speak to a woman that way” Julius flicked his cheek.

“Ouch! That hurt, bastard!”.

“Get…away…”.

“?” The two turned to look at the tied up figure.

“GET AWAY FROM HIM, YOU _DISGUSTING_ MAGGOT. He was supposed to be _my husband_. _MINE_! Don’t you dare touch him” She cried out.

“Heh? 's that so?” Subaru rested his arm on Julius’s shoulder, smirking at the woman. “What’s with you and this psycho chick, anyways?”.

“When I was young, her parents used their power and status to force upon me our arranged “happy marriage” and If I refused it would be considered an insult to their name. Which meant war would occur between our to families but luckily I could decline o-".

“ _Luckily_?!!?” She yowled.

'Savage' Subaru thought.

“I could decline on the grounds of a knight’s voluntary celibacy and his sworn duties to his kingdom. It’s one of a royal knight’s many rights as the protector of the Lugnica Kingdom”.

“Hick…Hick…God I hate you so much. I thought your parents were the ones who declined” She cried.

“No, It was I who made the decision without a doubt. My parents actually encouraged the arranged marriage” Subaru elbowed the knight’s side.

“Hmm?” Julius confusedly looked at Subaru.

‘This fucking guy is clueless’.

“Yeah, Julius. _Please_ be more insensitive, it’s not like her heart is breaking into a thousand pieces in front of us” 'Trust me, you're not gonna like a brokenhearted yandere".

“…..Ah”.

Subaru could only face palm at his reply.

“I don’t need your pity” She said.

“And I don’t need your permission” Subaru retorted.

“GRR!”.

Subaru gives her the biggest shit eating grin he could muster and said: “Feisty, aren’t you? Quite a nasty glare, too”.

“Sod off, maggot I don’t even know why Julius keeps you around” Subaru was about to say something nasty back but…

“Subaru” the knight reminded him

“…Yeah, yeah. I was just messing with her. Calm down” Subaru slapped Julius’s shoulder.

“Ichika, was it? Mind telling us how to get this thing off?”.

“Why should I tell you?”.

“We implore you, Ichika-san” Julius said.

“Or do you want us to be stuck like this forever?” Subaru waved the ball that was linking their hands together.

“ _Fine,_ But only because Julius asked. This is a “T or L” metia.

  1. What do I like to eat?
  2. What do I like to do?
  3. What’s my favorite color?
  4. When was I born?
  5. Do I love you romantically?
  6. Who do I love?
  7. Am I pregnant?



Julus will explain the rest”.

“I see. This is a “Truth or lie” metia, used to tell whether someone’s lying or not. It was commonly utilized by the military to interrogate enemies during war times but, because the material to make this is extremely rare, only those with high ranking status or of nobility can get a hold of it for non military usage. It’s indestructible, in order to remove it, we must answer the question or questions set before hand by the blood-sworn owner”.

“Blood-sworn owner?”.

“To be recognized as its owner, you must spill any amount of blood over the pearl in the middle” He twisted their arm to show the white pearl.

“Ohhh Thanks for the exposition”.

“You’re welcome”.

“Hey, lady. Why the heck do you have this thing?”

“Julius…You’re going to arrest me for misuse of military equipment after this is all over, right?” She ignored Subaru’s question.

“Correct”.

“How heavy will my punishment be?”.

“It depends on what your true usage of the metia is”.

“What’s my usage of the metia? What if I lie? Are you going to use my own metia against me? You know you can’t”.

“Yeah, it’s a blood-sworn thing, after all, so only you can set the questions, right? But here’s the thing…” Subaru flipped open his phone.

“…..What’s my usage of the? What if I lie? Ar-”

He pressed the pause button, stopping the audio. “We’ll simply draw some of your blood and pour it on this thing then play the audio”.

"You're metia is certainly a powerful one, Subaru. May I have a closer look some other day?".

'If you beg me for it, maybe'.

"Sure, whatever" Subaru said.

Her face went ghostly pale with no trace of emotions.

“I planned to ask you those question at the upcoming ball. When the last question came, I would answer yes and since I know for sure you’d say yes to the fifth question as well, the whole upper class would assume that it was you who impregnated me. If you said no, I would say you forced yourself upon me. Then you’d be forced to take responsibility for sure, less you wanted to bring shame upon your family”.

“But you’re not preg-”.

“I am”.

The scene became deathly quiet.

“Whose…”

“Last night, some married guy who wanted to have an affair talked to me. It was a good deal, I would get what I want and I knew he would never snitch since that would mean losing the façade of his happy marria-”

*Slap*

Subaru couldn’t believe the sight in front of him. Julius. Julius Juuklius, the usually calm and collected one of the two, slapped someone.

“It’s _not_. It’s disgraceful.” Julius, for the first time since Subaru met him, was so outraged, he gripped his knuckles completely white.

“You’re throwing your _life_ away for such foolish decision making. Not only will your reputation be _ruined_ , your families could _never_ face anyone again. You’ll be thrown in a solitary cell for attempted defamation of a royal knight and not to mention your child will be born into _misery and heart break._ Do you not have a soul? If you don’t care about your own sake then _at least_ don’t drag your loved ones into this. Y-You…” Subaru placed a hand on Julius’s shoulder.

Something about his touch felt so...

'Calming' Julius thought.

“Don’t ” The boy said.

“But-”.

“Some people can’t be helped or saved. Look at her face, there’s not a single shred of remorse or shame. All we can do for her is save her child”.

“…nh…Yes, I understand that you’re right” He angrily said.

‘…You know, in these kinds of situations, people get angry, yeah. but they would get angry at her, the person who was ready to falsely accuse them of rape, not get angry for them’ Subaru thought.

“You’re too kind for your own good. Think about yourself, at least. Don’t make me do it for you, Idiot” The boy whispered.

He isn’t sure if his words reached the other man’s ears or not but after a while, the knight relaxed his hands so he’ll assume it did.

“Don’t waste your breath, dude. Let’s just answer the questions and get this thing off. We can figure out what to do with her later”

“I…agree” The knight sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

He found this predicament quite laughable to be honest. Subaru was always the one trying to provoke him and yet he was somehow incredible at calming him down when he needed it the most.

“Subaru, one of us will say the question then answer it and the light will glow green when it’s the truth then the other person answers. Do and repeat until we’ve answered all the questions. Note, the second person can only answer when the first person has answered truthfully, else a punishment for interruption shall occur”.

“Punishment?”.

“A punishment selected beforehand by the owner”.

“*sigh* okay, got it. You go first”.

“Mn. What I like to eat? I suppose it’s-”.

“Food” Subaru deadpans.

“Hm, yes, food”.

*GREEN*

“My turn. I like to eat Ma-”.

“Mayo”.

“Oi, who asked you?” Subaru gets all up in the knight’s face.

“And I don’t recall anyone asking you, either”.

“Why you-!!” He childishly grinds his forehead against Julius’s, causing his grin to grow even bigger.

“Hm…Actually, I’ve realized something. I hear you talk of this “Mayo” often but no one I asked seems to have ever heard of it”.

‘Ah crap. That’s right, this world doesn’t have mayo’.

“Yeah…uh It’s an _exquisite_ cuisine where I’m from….yeah but I guess this place doesn’t have it, what a shame. Here” Subaru shoved the 1/20th-full mayo bottle into the knight’s mouth, squirting out all of its contents.

“Mmff…*Cough* *Cough*…”.

“So?” Subaru looked at him expectantly.

“It’s…hm…It’s certainly something”.

“I made this myself, you know” He puffed his chest proudly.

‘…I can tell’ Julius thought.

“Let’s focus back on the questions. What do I like to do? Read the occasional book when I have time off”.

*GREEN*

“Nerd”.

“Excuse me?”.

“Pfft haha nothing. What I like to do? Hmm…”.

‘Eating “Mayo”?’ Julius thought.

“I like watching anime and, _don’t laugh_ ,” He glares at the knight, “Sewing”.

*GREEN*

“I wasn’t going to” ‘Sewing hmm? I suppose his hands could be rather delicate at times’ Julius glanced at the boy’s hand.

“…H…He… _Hey!_ Snap out of it. What are you doing, zoning out like that?”.

“Ah…I was merely wondering about this “anime” you keep mentioning” He lied.

“Heh, I’m glad you finally asked” There’s a sudden glint in his eyes and the knight could feel a tidal wave of rants coming.

“Actually, how about we save this conversation for later?” He smiled nicely.

“Oh, yeah, right”.

“What’s my favorite color? I would say brown”.

*GREEN*

“Weird color but okay. What’s my favorite color?... I like Yellow, it’s a pretty rad color”.

*GREEN*

“When was I born? The seventh day of July. I will be turning 22 this year”.

*GREEN*

“No one asked” ‘7/7 huh…’ Subaru thought.

"What’s my birthday? The first of April or as it’s more widely know, April fools’ day and before you say it, haha my existence is a joke, very funny”.

*GREEN*

“April fools’ day? Don’t you mean “All fools’ day”? And why would I say something so horrible?”.

‘…All fools’ day? Guess that’s what they called it back in the medieval times’.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right” ‘He may be an asshole but he’s not the type to make those kinds of jokes’.

“The next question is…Do I love you romantically? No, I don’t” julius answered.

*GREEN*

“You better not or I’d probably hurl”.

“No need to be so rude, Subaru”.

“Boohoo ,did I hurt your feelings? Go take it up with one of your fans. Do I love you? Heck no. Everytime I see your face, I wanna punch it”

*GREEN*

“Or so you say after every training session but it appears my face remains unharmed”.

“Can’t say the same for your balls” Subaru added.

“…A…*Sigh*…” Julius rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“How crude....Next question, Who do I love? I hold no romantic feelings for anyone”.

*GREEN*

“Who do _I_ love? Easy. Emilia –tan, duh”.

*RED*

The two fell into a deafening silence as the red light faded away. The boy’s face held no emotion beside disbelief, his heart was crumbling and his worst fear came true. He didn’t love her anymore. He lost his purpose, his meaning to live. It was gone.

“…No…This is wrong…THIS PIECE OF JUNK IS WRONG” Subaru grabbed Julius’s sword, bringing it down to strike the ball.

“Subaru! _Don’t_ ” The warning came too late, the sword already made contact with the ball. The blow bounced right back and cut a long, shallow line on the knight’s cheek.

“ah” Julius covered his wound, feeling the blood soak into his glove.

“Julius! Fuck, are you okay?” Subaru slid his hand under the other’s man hand, gently caressing the injury.

“I’m fine. I am a knight, after all. I’ve dealt with much worse, don’t worry” He tried to calm the worried boy down, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

“I can feel you bleeding like heck!”.

“It’s not as bad as it looks”.

“Fuck! I’m... _Shit_ ”.

“As I’ve said, I’m alright. Just try not to be so careless, you could've been struck” He calmly replied.

'Dude, why are you talking about me? Jesus christ'.

"Fine…Yeah, I got it. I believe you on this” Subaru pulls his hand away. “Let’s get this thing over with already, I’m tired”.

“It’s your turn, still” Julius said.

“Huh? Oh, right…Who do I love?... I…honestly don’t know anymore”.

*GREEN*

“*Sigh*”.

“It’s almost over, Subaru. Am I pregnant? Allegedly, no”.

“Am I *sigh* pregnant? Of course, not”.

*Ding ding*

“You’ve answered all question truthfully. Thank you for using my services and may you lie another day” A recorded robot-sounding voice said. “Uninstalling, initiated. 3.2.1” The ball liquefied and drooped off their hand, onto the ground before shaping itself back to its ball form.

“Neat…AHHHH!!!!” Subaru screamed. Julius looked down to see that they were holding hands. It didn’t take long for the boy to rip his hand away and furiously dust it on his pants.

“Apparently, the ball linked our hands together”.

“No shit Ughhhh gross”.

‘…As expected of Subaru’.

‘So that’s what that weird feeling of warmth was’ Subaru thought.

“It seemed she fainted while we were not looking”.

“What are you gonna do with her?”.

“I will have to place her under arrest and set up a court ruling”.

“Sounds good”.

“Subaru?”

“Hmm? What’s up?”

“Here” Julius bandages Subaru’s finger with his last bandage.

“The one I wrapped for you must’ve fallen off during the scuffle”.

“Huh? Shouldn’t you use it on yourself first? You’re freaking face is bleeding, dude”.

“I can’t”.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”.

“I always bring bandages with me when I’m patrolling the town since the children often hurt themselves playing. But I forgot to buy more yesterday so I ran out earlier than usual”.

“Ran out? What are you talking about”.

“Nevermind that. I need to move her back to the town” Julius walked away.

‘What’s he thinking? If he’s got bandages, why isn’t he patching up his wound? What a weirdo’ Subaru squatted down next to Julius.

“Hey, weirdo”.

“*Sigh* What’s the ma-” Subaru slapped the medical patch onto the knight’s face-cut.

“Ah…Couldn’t you have done that with a bit more care?”.

“Nope. Just be grateful, dumbass. Seriously, you’re hopeless” Subaru thought that would get a reaction out of the knight and it did but not the kind he expected.

“Perhaps” Julius rolled his eyes.

Julius’s face wasn’t annoyed, he wasn’t rubbing his temples, he simply smiled with a look of…happiness? Subaru wasn’t sure.

‘Is he… happy? It can’t be. Who would smile when they get called “a hopeless case”?’.

“…You’re weird…Oh crap! I need to get back. You can take care of stuff here, right?”.

“Yes, no need to worry”.

“Cool, I’ll see ya later then” Subaru ran off before Julius could give him a proper reply.

“…See you” Julius said to the now empty forest.

* * *

**|** In the town **|**

“Hey, Juli. Heard you locked up some crazy chic- ack! What happened to your face?” Gareth said.

Julius reached up to feel his wound but felt the patch instead.

‘…You’re a hopeless case’ He remembered being told.

“What’s wrong with your face, now? Why are you smiling to yourself like that? It’s so _creepy. Ewh_ ”.

“I was smiling you say?”.

“Yeah?”.

“I see”.

“…Julius, you’re weird today”.

“Hmm...maybe so”.

* * *

{EXTRA SCENE: When they were struggling to tie the woman up}

Julius sliced the chunk that was attached to the ball off, freeing the two somewhat.

They grab the vines laying on the floor to tie the woman.

“No, you’re doing it wrong. It’s supposed to be this way” Julius said

“No, dumbass. It’s this way. Give it”.

“You’ll tear it again”.

“No, I won’t” Subaru pulled on the vine.

“Yes, you will” Julius pulled on the other end.

The result was predicable and had already happened plenty of times judging by the piles of snapped vines on the ground.

“Aghhh, this sucks. You suck”.

“We have run out of vines, Subaru”.

“Ah great” Subaru dropped to his knees in frustration.

The two searched the scene when their eyes finally landed on something.

‘Her hood’ the two thought.

“She wouldn’t mind, right?”

“I assume not”

“Cool. Let’s use it"

They worked in silence with the utmost concentration. But then Subaru spoke: "Uh...Julius, about what you said...".

"Hm? Oh, that? Do not worry, Subaru. I hold no romantic feelings for you and I'm certain I never will. I merely said that because I knew that would upset Ichika-san, which would make her get close enough for me to knock her unconscious".

"Phew, thank God. For a second, I thought...Ughgh" He shook his head in disgust.

"Subaru, you once mentioned that you're metia can "record and replay" others' voices, correct?".

"Yeah? What of it?".

"I will lead her into asking what her usage of the metia is. When that happens, you need you to "record" her. That way we will be able to use her own metia against her".

"Right, that's what a blood sworn thingy is like huh... Gotcha".

'Already thinking ahead on how he could threaten her. Noble knight indeed' Subaru chuckled.

"Hey uh...Julius. You know...um about...your face...I'm s....so...ughh..sar..." he tried to grunt it out but the noise resembled that of a dying fish more than human speech.

"Hm...It's quite alright, Subaru. In spite of your attitude-"

"Hey!"

"You didn't truly wish to harm me"

"Uh huh. Yeah, whatever" He rolled his eyes. 'At least, I don't have to apologize anymore '.

"Though, with a hitting force like that, I'm afraid you aren't going to be able to make good on your promise to "kick my ass" in the forseeable future"

"...You couldn't resist, huh? Watch your step 'cause I'm gonna pummel that pretty face one day, just you wait"

'Pretty?'

"I afraid I will die of old age then"

"Why you-!"

[3 minutes later]

The two were careful this time, working in perfect unison as to not rip the robe as well. Finally, Julius tied it all together with a ribbon knot.

“What’s with you and ribbons?”

‘How old is this guy? Ten?’

“Cute, wouldn’t you agree?” Julius laughed

Then the woman woke up.

“…h…huh? Where am I?”.

* * *

**[SUBARU’S SIDE OF THE STORY]**

**|** In the forest **|**

[Present time]

Subaru ran back to the manor in a rush but quickly ran out of breath. He leaned against the tree for support, wiping his wet forehead with his hand when something caught his eye.

‘The ribbon bandage?’ As he looked at it, he remembered the earlier scene.

‘…Cute?’.

“Pfft- Yeah. It sure is, Julius, It sure is” Rolling his eyes, he smiled at the knot. He pushed himself off the tree and head for the manor once more. But this time enjoying the scenery along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *User warning:  
> While it is true that the "T or L" uses magic to tell whether a person is lying or not, It can not tell you the absolute, objective truth. This metia does not have the ability or knowledge to discern all lies from real facts. What it can do, however, is still just as incredible. It can tell you the wearer's subjective truth, what they think the truth is. For example: What's the best way to cook meat?  
> Person A: "Rare" *Truth*  
> Person B: "Medium rare" *Truth*  
> Note that both of these are the truth because the answer is subjective. There is no correct answer, only what they think it is.  
> Example 2: Do you love me? Our most frequently asked question.  
> Person A:"No" *Truth*  
> -Five days later  
> Person A: "Yes" *Truth*  
> In this example, the "truth" is changeable, it depends on what the person knows and thinks. Person A could've had feelings for the other person at the very beginning but if they don't realize it or recognize it then it'll be considered to be not there.  
> Example 3: What is the code to the safe? Information related questions  
> Person A:"3356" *Truth*  
> However, this may not be the actual code to the safe. Person A could have simply been told the wrong numbers and believed it to be the true numbers.  
> If you are not satisfied with our product because of a situation similar to the example listed above, you can not return the product.  
> If the metia has been in your care for more than 4 months, you can not return the product.  
> If the metia is broken, you can not return the product. (At ******, we make sure all products meet the indestructible quality)  
> -When you ask a question, you mustn't use vague language as this could easily lead to the other person twisting your words against you, valued customer.  
> That is all. Thank you for purchasing the Docomo 503i model and we hope you will do business with us, the ******, again.  
> May you lie another day.


End file.
